Racism in the teaching of human anatomy in 21ST century medicine
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Abstract
The authors of this essay discuss the racism still present in the anatomical study of medical training in these early years of the 21st century. Our thesis is that the discipline of Human Anatomy in medical courses does not consider human diversity. On the contrary, this teaching still reproduces institutional racism in a racist education based on the Universal Man model. The arguments supporting this thesis discuss: the history of anatomy being told erasing African influence; the predominant use of black bodies, even today; white hegemony as the universal standard of Human Anatomy; the persistent use of terms such as ‘race’ in teaching materials; the absence of black anatomits in science academy. It is suggested that the anatomical studies offered in medicine be updated to reflect the diversity of bodies that exist in our society.
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