The Journal and various medical institutions have historically advocated and justified the mistreatment of groups based on their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and physical or mental conditions. In an effort to confront this history, the Journal has commissioned an independent group of historians has been commissioned to examine different facets of these biases and injustices. The series aims to initiate a conversation, facilitating a learning process from past mistakes and providing insights to prevent the occurrence of new ones.
From the Journal: “Our goal is not to cause further pain. In fact, after some deliberation, we and the historians decided that we should not republish some of the most egregious language to be found in our archives. Nevertheless, the series will reveal problems that we must reckon with now, while offering us an opportunity to consider our contemporary beliefs as well. Even as we are committed to documenting the past, we also want to look toward solutions.
Medicine in general and the Journal in particular have a mission — to relieve suffering and improve health. The injustice that we have helped disseminate in the past painfully undercuts this goal. We hope that in learning from our mistakes, we can prevent new ones.”1
Access the series here.
References
- NEJM — Recognizing Historical Injustices in Medicine and the Journal. (n.d.). New England Journal of Medicine. https://www.nejm.org/recognizing-historical-injustices
Disclaimers
- The material in these reviews is from various public open-access sources, meant for educational and informational purposes only
- Any personal opinions expressed are those of only the author(s) and are not intended to represent the position of any organization(s)
- No official support by any organization(s) has been provided or should be inferred
