Abraham Flexner
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One 1910 report's recommendations helped shut down Black medical schools for a century.
Who they are
Abraham Flexner wrote the influential 1910 Flexner Report on American medical education.
What they do
His report shaped which medical schools survived and which closed.
How it works
He argued Black physicians should be trained only to serve Black communities and focus on hygiene to protect white neighbors, and he recommended keeping only two of the historically Black medical schools; the resulting closures are estimated to have prevented more than 35,000 African American physicians from graduating over the next century.
Why it matters
It matters because a single document entrenched deep, lasting racial gaps in American healthcare.
The engine's record — word for word
Author of the 1910 Flexner Report. Argued Black physicians should be trained 'solely to serve Black communities and focus on hygiene to prevent the spread of infections to their white neighbors.' Recommended only Howard + Meharry of historically Black medical schools as 'worth developing.' Extrapolated impact: closure of remaining historically Black institutions prevented graduation of >35,000 African American physicians over the next century, entrenching systemic racial disparities in healthcare.
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