Breathing Race into the Machine: The Surprising Career of the Spirometer from Plantation to Genetics

Racial bias can be found in even the most unassuming medical procedures, Braun (medical science, Brown Univ.; Racial Categories in Medical Practice: Are They Useful??) discovers when she begins researching the history of the spirometer. While the device is often used by physicians to measure lung capacity, it was also used to attempt to further oppress slaves in the post-Civil War era. Braun uncovers the history of the spirometer and the practice of "race correction"—reducing the measured values of the instrument based on race. She explains how "race correction" has become an industry standard, still used in the United States, the UK, and for a time in South Africa. The author's research is rich and detailed, providing a fascinating history of the appliance. She also explains the effect it has had not just in medical science but in the labor force, in which it became difficult for black people to file disability claims owing to the disparities in lung-capacity measurements.