Racial Incidence Research Articles

Racial incidents, council housing and the law

Abstract This paper reviews the legal remedies now available to local housing authorities in Britain relevant to the control of racial harassment in public housing. It depicts the policy framework within which such housing authorities determine administrative and legal action in their area by reference, in particular, to the Home Affairs Committee Report on Harrassment and argues the case for new legal provisions and a multi‐agency approach as part of a broader policy strategy necessary to combat this growing concern which many authorities have failed to address.

When Law and Order Works: Boston's Innovative Approach to the Problem of Racial Violence

Racial and ethnic violence continues to be a major problem in the United States. Boston, which experienced hightened racial turmoil since its desegregation process, presents an excellent case study of a police department that faced the problem in a straightforward manner. Traditional methods of classifying and investigating racial incidents were viewed as ineffective. The Boston Police Department developed an innovative approach to the handling of racially motivated crime, which involved implementing a departmentwide policy and creating a specialized police unit. This unit was highly successful in uncovering incidents that under traditional reporting methods appeared commonplace. Upon further examination, these incidents, taken together, indicated persistent and compelling patterns of racial animus. The uncovering of these incidents, the subsequent relabeling of them into “community disorders,” and the development of innovative strategies are described. Policy implications and recommendations are presented. Critics may question the allocation of police resources to a problem that on the surface may appear minor. However, racial violence viewed in the aggregate form has dramatic impact on the quality of life for the victim. A police department that recognizes the significance of this problem is making an important statement about the kind of society we are and what we as a nation stand for.

Dermoid cysts of the anterior fontanelle.

A review of the medical records at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, from 1967 through 1980 showed that, of the 94 cases of dermoid cyst of the skull treated at this institution by the neurosurgical staff, 25 were located over the anterior fontanelle. This is the largest single group of cases reported to date. The children were 2 months to 13 years of age, but two-thirds were treated before their 1st birthday. Females outnumbered males 2:1, and all of the patients presented with a nontender swelling over the anterior fontanelle, which had been present from birth. The lesions were treated by a variety of surgical approaches, all of which were curative. None of the lesions has recurred. The most interesting finding was that all but 2 of the children were white, in contrast to all previously published series. This confirms our belief that the racial incidence of dermoid cysts of the anterior fontanelle is a reflection of the general population. A review of previously published cases and the pathology and embryology of the lesion is included.

Where is the New Jewish conservatism?

W 'hoever speaks of Jewish liberalism is accounted an historian or someone out of touch with the contemporary Jewish world. One prevalent recent assumption by observers of the Jewish community--at least those within--has been the growing conservatism of American Jews. By the late 1970s, Jewish liberalism is vestigial. This motif has become so dominant that it is no longer necessary to document the change. Observers either seek to explain Jewish conservatism or they state it simply as a fact taken for granted like the breakdown of the family. No one feels obligated to demonstrate that Jews have indeed become conservative. Although there is a body of literature, some of it quite sophisticated, dealing with Jewish conservatism, little attention is given to documentation. Systematic evidence is replaced by reference to the obvious nature of the phenomenon or to a small number of oft-cited examples, particularly to racial incidents in New York, especially in the late 1960s, and to perceptions of the presidential vote in 1972. Harold Schulweis' insightful article on "The New Jewish Right," published in the first volume of Moment, addresses conservatism among the intellectual Jewish right, but it contains an assumption about the spread of attitudes among the masses.

Asplenia syndrome. A study of congenital anomalies in 16 cases.

Sixteen new cases of the asplenia syndrome with autopsy findings had a female preponderance of 2:1. Racial incidence of splenic agenesis was nine whites and seven blacks. The average life span of the infants born alive was approximately 38 days. All infants with the asplenia syndrome had recorded weights and lengths below normal standard values. Surgical palliation of the cardiovascular anomalies in the asplenia syndrome was attempted in two cases. The incidence of the asplenia syndrome from the large autopsy series at the Medical University of South Carolina is one case per 2,000 autopsies.

Acute myocardial infarction in Newark, N.J. A study of racial incidence

Acute myocardial infarction in Newark, N.J. A study of racial incidence

ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN FIJI A REVIEW OF 300 CASES

A study of 300 patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted to hospital between January, 1969, and October, 1972, was done to determine racial incidence, clinical features, risk factors, complications and mortality. Of the 300 patients, 89% were Indians, 5·6% were Fijians, and 32% were in the 30 to 45 years age group. Of the risk factors, hypercholesterolaemia was present in 48% of cases and cigarette smoking in 56%; other risk factors were hypertension, diabetes and obesity. The mortality rate was 16%.

Racial Unrest in the Military: The Challenge and the Response

Like the American society in general, the U.S. armed forces were rocked in the late 1960s and early 1970s by numerous racial incidents at overseas bases such as Tiensha and Longbinh, South Vietnam; Heidelburg, Germany; Rota, Spain; and on stateside assignments such as Camp Pendleton, California; Great Lakes Naval Base, Illinois; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Laredo Air Force Base, Texas; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Kaneohe Marine Air Station, Honolulu; and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, as well as aboard ships at sea: U.S.S. Constellation, U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, and the fleet oiler, Hassayampa. While the intensity and causes of the racial disturbances varied from place to place, the July 20, 1969, Marine Corps Camp Lejeune incident and the October 12, 1972, outbreak aboard the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk were two of the most severe conflicts and present something of a classic pattern of racial unrest in the U.S. armed forces.

Chronic pancreatitis in the Western Cape.

A review of 1,006 patients studied over a 12-year period underlines the importance of alcohol in calcific, chronic and, to a lesser extent, acute pancreatitis. The racial incidence, natural history an

Racial incidence of carcinoma of the cervix in Fiji.

Summary: Statistics are presented which indicate there is no significant racial difference in the incidence of cervical carcinoma in the 2 main ethnic groups living in Fiji — indigenous Fijian and Indian.

Racial incidence of pseudoexfoliation of the lens capsule.

Racial incidence of pseudoexfoliation of the lens capsule.

Radioactive iodine (131I) therapy for thyrotoxicosis at Groote Schuur Hospital over a 6-year period

The case records of 262 patients who received 131I therapy during a 6-year period were analysed retrospectively. These included seventy-eight patients who received more than one therapeutic dose. The major indication for 131I therapy was thyrotoxicosis occurring in patients aged 40 years and over. The racial incidence in this series is striking. The effects on thyroid function of two low-dose schedules (4 mCi and 6 mCi) were compared. The major complication encountered was hypothyroidism. 4 mCi appears to be as effective as 6 mCi with the added advantage of producing less hypothyroidism.

Racial incidence of coarctation of aorta.

Racial incidence of coarctation of aorta.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS IN SENILE OSTEOPOROSIS

1. Using the incidence of hip fracture as an indication of senile osteoporosis, the occurrence of this disease is found to vary greatly in different racial groups. The highest reported incidence is in Sweden, followed by Britain, Hong Kong Chinese, Singapore Chinese and South African Bantu, in that order. Likewise, the sex incidence varies, women outnumbering men in Sweden and Britain, men exceeding women in Singapore; an equal sex incidence is found in Hong Kong. 2. In all races and in both sexes the incidence is more closely related to age than any other factor, a progressive increase being noted after forty-five. Ageing is clearly the dominant etiological factor, but this does not explain the different racial incidence. These differences cannot be attributed to hormonal state or to the dietary intake of calcium, but do accord in general with the living standards of the different countries and the degree of physical activity undertaken by the different populations and sexes. 3. Hereditary factors may play a part, but further geographical study of the incidence of senile osteoporosis is necessary before the relative importance of inheritance and environment can be assessed.

Hereditary nephritis in the Negro. Report of a kindred

A Negro kindred which demonstrated an unusual racial incidence of hereditary nephritis, also exhibited a number of other relatively uncommon features. Three members of the kindred had cataracts; all three had nephritis, one died of renal failure, and two had deafness. Two members, 15 and 16 years old, had large urinary excretion of protein satisfying the criteria of the nephrotic syndrome, and both had eighth nerve involvement. A 17-year-old girl died of renal failure, and a 4-month-old boy has an abnormal urine sediment.

Hereditary Nephritis in the Negro

A Negro kindred which demonstrated an unusual racial incidence of hereditary nephritis, also exhibited a number of other relatively uncommon features. Three members of the kindred had cataracts; all three had nephritis, one died of renal failure, and two had deafness. Two members, 15 and 16 years old, had large urinary excretion of protein satisfying the criteria of the nephrotic syndrome, and both had eighth nerve involvement. A 17-year-old girl died of renal failure, and a 4-month-old boy has an abnormal urine sediment.

Racial incidence of hydatidiform mole: A study in a contained polyracial community

Ninety-four hydatidiform moles and 2 choriocarcinomas were reviewed in a citywide study made in a polyracial community. In spite of good nutrition, the incidence of hydatiform mole is considerably higher in the Oriental than the Caucasian group. Despite a generally lower economic level in the Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian group, the incidence is relatively low in this group. The study suggests that the primary etiology of trophoblastic tumors is other than dietary and is probably related to race.

Racial incidence of carcinoma of the bronchus in Malaya.

Racial incidence of carcinoma of the bronchus in Malaya.

Dilemmas of American Policy on Africa

IN THE COURSE of the last decade-the decade of African independence-the United States has come to be involved in greater or less degree with all the countries of Africa. This has meant the opening up of a host of new relationships since, leaving North Africa aside, the only countries which were independent before the colonial logjam started to break in the mid-1950's were Ethiopia, Liberia, and South Africa, and American relations with the rest of Africa under colonial rule were minimal. As thirty-odd new states came into existence in Africa south of the Sahara, a new set of assumptions as to how to deal with Africa had to be brought into being, and to manage the relationships the Africa section of the Department of State had to be greatly elaborated, inevitably challenging the vested superiority of the European desks. American embassies had to be created in the African countries with all the accompanying paraphernalia of intelligence, aid, information, and other such missions. African embassies had to be accommodated in Washington and African missions appeared at UN headquarters in New York, always with the danger of racial incidents which at the best were embarrassing and at the worst verged on the disastrous.

Epidemiological findings on cerebrovascular diseases and their implications

Summary Progress in the elucidation of the epidemiology of the cerebrovascular diseases has been hampered by the inadequacy of recording of information concerning acute clinical events and the lack of specific diagnostic tools able to distinguish between the various pathologic processes which are commonly grouped into the category of stroke. At this early stage of our knowledge the most conclusive observation is the striking relationship between hypertensive disease and strokes, two entities which parallel each other in morbidity, mortality and racial incidence. Preexistent cardiac disease, usually atherosclerotic or rheumatic, and electrocardiographic abnormalities also predispose to a high rate of future cerebrovascular disease. While it is evident that further study is needed to elaborate the epidemiology of the cerebrovascular diseases it is not too early to urge early detection and comprehensive treatment of the hypertensive state. This approach must include measures aimed at reduction of overweight and hypercholesterolemia and elimination of cigarette smoking when present as well as specific antipressor drug therapy. These hygienic measures should also be widely applied in an effort at primary prevention of atherosclerotic coronary heart disease - a goal which if achieved will further reduce the impact of the stroke problem.