Book Review: Medicine, science, and making race in civil war America in ETHNIC AND RACIAL STUDIES
Less than a year ago, a curious incident caught the attention of a nurse working inhealth education in Sweden. The nurse noticed that in several parts of thecountry, regional health policy recommended that anaesthetic plasters be leftin place longer for children with dark skin. The policy stated that“coloured chil-dren need 1.5-2 hours to take effect”, whereas white children only needed anhour. The nurse was appalled. She knew that the idea that dark-skinned patientsexperienced pain differently was a stereotype dating back to slavery, when blackbodies were considered more resistant to pain and therefore less in need of pain-killers during the many painful medical experiments that took place at the time.She decides to look into the matter and discovers that it was indeed a commonpractice to leave plasters on longer if the child was considered non-white. In thelate autumn of 2022, the media broke the story. Reactions were strong: Parentsrecounted their experiences of long hospital waits, and health workers admittedthat they had never questioned what they believed to be an evidence-based rec-ommendation. Shortly after the story broke, the policy was changed. Today, thestandard recommendation is one hour for all children, regardless of colour