You're right reading into it it seems there is information now that discredits the hypothesis. I wouldn't call it "race based" it wasn't about black people or a race in general it was specific to African Americans due to the extreme situations the slaves endured getting to America. Factors that affect blood pressure also affect dehydration rates. Multiple courses had mentioned it quickly. The reasoning behind the hypothesis makes biological sense.
Sounds like a racist thread was running through multiple courses you took.
How is that racist? It's acknowledging that we can do things to others that can affect generations on a biological level. It wasn't about a race of people other than a particular race been choosen for slaves (that part was of course incredibly racist but we shouldn't just ignore it happened).
Because when it's considered a biologically fixed problem then people who don't have that problem learn to see the different race from theirs as genetically inferior and overlook or explain away the systemic racism causing socioeconomic disparity that currently affects human health to a far greater degree than anything else does. And above that...it's unscientific, unproven and discredited - it can't be proven that's what caused hypertension going back that far. Hypertension wasn't even known or studied then. It's a patronizing, empty theory that can lead people to believe that's a primary cause when today the primary cause is political and socioeconomic - systemic racism - and then those in charge who choose to believe it's genetic, feel less responsible for doing anything about the systemic inequality.
Again though, it's not about an entire race, it's about a population - those who survived grueling circumstances and their descendants It can affect screening recommendations. Just because something was wrong, doesn't mean it's unscientific, that's a big part of science.
So do you think that we should just ignore genetic factors? Should we ignore population differences and just treat all people the same?
No. Not when an individual is sick and needs specific care. But at the macro level it's socioeconomics driving the increases in illness, not genetics. Medical science doesn't explain or cure it all alone. Yes, if we had socioeconomic equality people of all ethnicities would still get sick from all kinds of things, but far more people would be much healthier regardless of their genetic backgrounds because they would have better medical care and quality of life to treat and prevent illness.
But complaining putting out hypotheses as racist isn't going to help with that. It's not just socioeconomics driving illnesses.
Who is 'they'? Many people are interested in doing things to keep people healthy, to improve healthcare, to improve quality of life.
The system, is "they" particularly those who run it. Those who make policies that have direct and indirect effects on some populations not others.
Why can’t there be multiple causes?
But that is not happening and it never has. It's always an afterthought to throw a leaky lifeboat to "those people" in "those neighbourhoods". Whereas, for middle and upper middle class majority white populations, preparations are readily made and plans already in place to help.
The main "cause" is not race. Race is only a risk factor of any significance at all, because of socioeconomics that causes socioeconomic depression and systemic racism. The Obamas living in a fancy neighbourhood in a big house are not at higher risk for dying from covid than their white next door neighbours or others living in similar neighbourhoods across the US with similar financial means.
Different underlying health issues may need different treatment - but race is only a factor insofar as how well people are being treated already and the safety of their socioeconomic circumstances.
The prime minister of the UK nearly died of Covid. He’s only in his 50s. He was very ill. Apparently a death notice was drafted.
www.sciencemag.org