In the blood

"Although it strikes individuals from a variety of backgrounds, sickle cell anemia has been known throughout the twentieth century as a "black" disease. In the Blood looks at why this is, telling the story of the racialization of sickle cell anemia in the decades after its identification in 1910 until today."--BOOK JACKET. "Tapper examines anthropological, genetic, medical, and political texts to illustrate how significant a role medical and anthropological constructs have played in shaping the way Africans and African Americans have been perceived and acted upon. Using some long-ignored materials, he outlines the predominant discourses on sickle cell anemia and race in the twentieth century. In the Blood is both a fine example of writing against racism and a bold statement about the social construction of race and disease."--BOOK JACKET.