# race --- **race** is a [[social construct]] In addition to being part of our history as a nation, racism is part of the history of medicine. The modern concept of race dates back to the published work of physicians in 1 8th century Europe. Categories were organized with "white" at the top. This concept concentrated power with White people. It was used to justify and legitimize dominance over non-White people. Medicine and biomedical science have been at the heart of the racism in society. Johan Friedrich Blumenbach was a German physician. His MD thesis and subsequent publications established five racial categories for humans. This formed the basis for the racialization and racial categories that still persists today. ___