Mind the Gap, Handbook of Clinical Signs in Black and Brown Skin, Update

April 16, 2021 11:50 AM

Mind the Gap, a handbook of clinical signs and symptoms in black and brown skin, is available to be downloaded online at no cost.

Designed as part of a student-staff partnership project, Mind the Gap was created by medical student, Malone Mukwende, Senior Lecturer in Diversity and Medical Education, Margot Turner, and Clinical Lecturer in Clinical Skills, Dr Peter Tamony. The booklet can now be downloaded as an ebook on the Black and Brown Skin website, created separately by Malone. (St George's, University of London)

WE NEED YOU! If you think there is something missing from this handbook and would like to see more conditions included then we are are always looking for contributors. In particular we would welcome clinical signs for the chest, abdomen, and lower limbs (vascular). (BlackandBrownSkin)

It's more than just a handbook. It's a movement for change. - Malone Mukwende, Founder, BlackandBrownSkin.

Mind the Gap, last year on MetaFilter.

posted by Iris Gambol (6 comments total)

Of course! Of course!! It never occurred to me that all of the visible random signs and symptoms for disease were only ever presented on white skin.. Really great example of how structural racism affects health outcomes for people of color..
posted by Captain Chesapeake at 12:21 PM on April 16, 2021 [7 favorites]

Everything about this is amazing and beautiful, especially the distribution at no cost. Reminds me a bit of how Good & Cheap came to be as well.
posted by deadaluspark at 1:15 PM on April 16, 2021 [5 favorites]

Wait, this is not core to every medical school curriculum? Come on. For real?

Jesus Christ, America...
posted by wenestvedt at 5:30 PM on April 16, 2021

wenestvedt, the handbook itself was made in the UK (hence the Tube reference in the title). But this definitely applies to the USA too.

I remember taking EMT classes in 2010 or so when the teacher still taught the appearance of healthy skin as "pink, warm, and dry". Not very rad at all.
posted by cnidaria at 6:11 PM on April 16, 2021

Iris, thank you for posting - this is great!!
posted by esoteric things at 8:36 AM on April 18, 2021 [1 favorite]

As a parent of a mixed-race kid with eczema, which looks totally normal for how eczema looks on black skin but who had to undergo extra testing because it didn't look how eczema "normally looks" to the pediatric dermatologist in a major hospital in our city, I want this to be compulsory for every medical professional who might deal with people's skin in any way. This is such an important project and so overdue.
posted by SeedStitch at 9:22 AM on April 19, 2021 [3 favorites]