Breathing Race into the Machine: The Surprising Career of the Spirometer from Plantation to Genetics

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ix Acknowledgments This book represents the culmination of my journey from the laboratory to the archive that began in the late 1990s after i read an article in my local newspaper about race correction of pulmonary function in an asbestos class-action lawsuit. Having just joined the Race in Science and Medicine Workshop at MiT, organized by Evelynn Hammonds, i was intrigued by the idea of “correcting” for race. A conversation with my good friend David Kern, a wonderfully thoughtful physician in occupational medicine, revealed that race correction was standard practice in pulmonary medicine. in his usual meticulous fashion David assembled key articles on the topic for me to read. What i initially conceptualized as a short article became a long but truly enjoyable excursion in the history of race and lung-function testing. The encouragement of friends and colleagues on three continents made the process of researching and writing this book a pleasure. i offer the usual caveat that i alone am responsible for the interpretation of this history. My sincere appreciation goes to colleagues at brown University. i have been fortunate that the structure at brown allowed me to cross disciplinary (and epistemological) boundaries that are usually difficult to navigate. in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, i thank Agnes Kane, my chair; Kim boekelheide; and my former chair, Nelson fausto (who, sadly, did not live to read this book), for unflagging support and encouragement over the years when it would have been much easier on the department if i did my job in a more conventional way. Special thanks go to my colleagues in Africana studies, especially Lewis gordon, who in 2001 invited me to join the Department of Africana Studies, and subsequent chairs Tony bogues, Tricia Rose, and Corey Walker, who provided important intellectual support for this work. Anne faustoSterling organized the Science and Technology Studies program just as i was making the shift from basic science to historical research. acknowledgments x • Her intellectual generosity and that of other faculty members in STS were critical to the evolution of this study. i am deeply grateful to those who took time out of their busy schedules to read drafts of one or more chapters: Rina bliss, Molly braun, Merlin Chowkwanyun, Anne fausto-Sterling, françoise Hamlin, Agnes Kane, David Kern, Sophie Kisting, Nancy Jacobs, Miriam Reumann, Susan Reverby, Joan Richards, Samuel Roberts, David Rosner, and Amy Slaton. Their comments enriched the manuscript —and made the process more interactive and fun. in addition to her famously quick turnarounds on copy, Susan deserves special mention for support and advice as the project evolved. That this project became a book is largely due to Keith Wailoo, who first suggested at a conference in 2006 that i consider the idea. Miriam, Merlin , David, and Molly were truly heroic in reading and commenting on the entire manuscript. i thank Peter braun for his legal insight on the asbestos case. friends and colleagues in South Africa played a critical role in the development of this project. in particular, Neville Alexander, Eugene Caincross, Sophie Kisting, and Karen Press were gracious in helping me appreciate South Africa’s complex history and the brutal legacy of a racialized mining system. Neville’s vision of and sacrifices for a more just future hover over this book; i am deeply saddened by his death. Sophie stands out for her remarkable insight. She took an immediate interest in the project and helped to arrange interviews with South Africans involved in the debate over reference standards and several seminars at an early stage of this project. The work of Jonny Myers was a constant inspiration. Tony Davies was remarkably generous with his time answering e-mails and helping me locate valuable documents from the Pneumoconiosis Research Unit. i conducted a large number of interviews with physicians and activists in the United States, South Africa, and britain. Although they will remain anonymous under the terms of my human subjects’ approval, i am grateful for their time and interest in discussing this complicated topic. i gained valuable insights over the years from many participants, especially the organizer, Evelynn Hammonds, in the Race in Science and Medicine Workshop, first held at MiT and then Harvard; the Race Seminar in Cape Town; the RACEgEN listserv ; and numerous seminars and talks. i thank Kay Dickersin and Melanie Wolfgang for their patient collaboration on the incredibly grueling systematic review, which informs sections of this book. [18.118.12.222] Project MUSE (2024-04-24 15...