Skip to main content
Journal of the National Medical Association logoLink to Journal of the National Medical Association
. 1981 Aug;73(8):739–746.

The Invisible Malady: Sickle Cell Anemia

Todd L Savitt
PMCID: PMC2552684  PMID: 7021863

Abstract

Though several articles have appeared on the history of sickle cell anemia in the United States, none has dealt with the dissemination of information from the scientific community to the public. It is an interesting commentary on our society that 60 years have passed before this important but racially oriented disease has reached the public forum. In this article, the author tries to describe the major events in the history of sickle cell anemia and to explain why it has not been publicized.

Full text

PDF
739

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ALLISON A. C. Aspects of polymorphism in man. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1955;20:239-51; discussion, 251-5. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1955.020.01.023. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Adeloye A. Sickle-cell anaemia. Br Med J. 1973 May 5;2(5861):304–304. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5861.304. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Binder R. A., Jones S. R. Prevalence and awareness of sickle cell hemoglobin in a military population. Determination by a rapid screening method. JAMA. 1970 Nov 2;214(5):909–911. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Culliton B. J. Sickle cell anemia: the route from obscurity to prominence. Science. 1972 Oct 13;178(4057):138–142. doi: 10.1126/science.178.4057.138. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Desai P., Serjeant G. R. Awareness of sickle cell disease among high school students in Kingston, Jamaica. Public Health Rep. 1976 May-Jun;91(3):265–267. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Greenberg M. S. Need to identify sickle-cell trait. N Engl J Med. 1970 Mar 12;282(11):629–630. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hampton M. L., Anderson J., Lavizzo B. S., Bergmen A. B. Sickle cell "nondisease". A potentially serious public health problem. Am J Dis Child. 1974 Jul;128(1):58–61. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kabins S. A., Lerner C. Fulminant pneumococcemia and sickle cell anemia. JAMA. 1970 Jan 19;211(3):467–471. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lane J. C., Scott R. B. Awareness of sickle cell anemia among negroes of Richmond, Va. Public Health Rep. 1969 Nov;84(11):949–953. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. MARGOLIES M. P. Sickle cell anemia; a composite study and survey. Medicine (Baltimore) 1951 Dec;30(4):357–433. doi: 10.1097/00005792-195112000-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Motulsky A. G. Frequency of sickling disorders in U.S. blacks. N Engl J Med. 1973 Jan 4;288(1):31–33. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197301042880108. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Neel J. V. The Inheritance of Sickle Cell Anemia. Science. 1949 Jul 15;110(2846):64–66. doi: 10.1126/science.110.2846.64. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. PAULING L., ITANO H. A. Sickle cell anemia a molecular disease. Science. 1949 Nov 25;110(2865):543–548. doi: 10.1126/science.110.2865.543. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. SWITZER P. K., FOUCHE H. H. The sickle cell trait; incidence and influence in pregnant colored women. Am J Med Sci. 1948 Sep;216(3):330–332. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Scott R. B. A commentary on sickle cell disease. J Natl Med Assoc. 1971 Jan;63(1):1–passim. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Scott R. B. Health care priority and sickle cell anemia. JAMA. 1970 Oct 26;214(4):731–734. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Scott R. B. Sickle-cell anemia--high prevalence and low priority. N Engl J Med. 1970 Jan 15;282(3):164–165. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197001152820312. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Serjeant G., Serjeant B. Sickle-cell anaemia before Herrick. Lancet. 1972 Apr 1;1(7753):746–747. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(72)90259-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Taliaferro W H, Huck J G. The Inheritance of Sickle-Cell Anaemia in Man. Genetics. 1923 Nov;8(6):594–598. doi: 10.1093/genetics/8.6.594. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Torchia M. M. The tuberculosis movement and the race question, 1890-1950. Bull Hist Med. 1975 Summer;49(2):152–168. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Workman P. L. Gene flow and the search for natural selection in man. Hum Biol. 1968 May;40(2):260–279. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of the National Medical Association are provided here courtesy of National Medical Association

RESOURCES