I want to clarify at the outset that this article is not about any actual differences among ethnic groups. Instead, the theory I will be discussing, from Francisco J. Gil-White’s paper, “Are Ethnic Groups Biological “Species” to the Human Brain?”, addresses why our brains fixate on the perceived differences among groups to the point of…
Throughout history, one of the most marginalized groups of America’s population has been the poor. Those who belong to a lower socioeconomic group ultimately bear the brunt of widespread disease. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to rage worldwide, it is imperative—now more than ever—to evaluate and act on the long-standing factor of income in our…
Old warehouses transformed into emergency makeshift morgues highlight just how enormous the COVID-19 death toll proved to be. With funeral homes unable to take in infected corpses, hospital halls lined with body bags and burial services on hold, mourning remains suspended for families who lost loved ones. Death and dying became an imminent threat rather…
Tumor. Cancer. Surgery. Disorder. Disease. Treatment. Doctors have the responsibility to tell their patients “bad news” all the time. The “news” is not some abstract story that can be simply watched out of boredom or skimmed over with glazed eyes. The “news” is about one’s future of living or dying. Far more difficult to swallow…
“We don’t have time to wait for the ambulance to get here. We’ll just take her ourselves.” The nine-year-old, curled into a fetal position on the table, didn’t care which vehicle would be transporting her to the nearest trauma center. She just wanted the pain in her abdomen to go away, so she could go…
My College Writing assignment is due in two weeks. Feeling confident with the time remaining, I casually dismiss it and decide to watch the final game of the World Series, only to see the Nationals defeat the Astros in disappointment. One week later, I check the assignment again and decide to postpone it. Instead, I…
When Jason Dahlke, an emergency paramedic in Portland, Oreg., was called into an emergency call for a black man around 60 years complaining of extreme pain in his hands and feet, Dahlke “followed the standard procedure and gave the patient a blood glucose test” in which the test showed low blood sugar levels. Although he…
Mental health encompasses more than just clinically diagnosed conditions that don long, scientific titles. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, mental health is an umbrella term used to characterize any “condition that affects a person’s thinking, feeling or mood” (1). Mental health struggles can present in drastically different fashions for different populations. For…
“Know every student by name and by story.” Students at WashU have had the phrase engraved into their minds after hearing it many times over. However, while students know the phrase, do they truly understand it? While most people can learn someone’s name fairly easily, knowing their story is more complicated. A story can include…
Arachnophobia? A valid fear: the long legs and erratic movements of tarantulas are enough to send chills down my spine. Heights? Also reasonable— just the thought of bungee jumping makes my stomach queasy. But vaccination? It’s surprising that the agent responsible for eradicating such fatal diseases as smallpox is at the root of great controversy….