El uso de categorías raciales en la biomedicina argentina. Un análisis de publicaciones nacionales e internacionales

One of the focal points of current biomedicine lies in analyzing the relationship between clinical characteristics, population differences and heritability. In approaches originating in the United States, this relationship is largely associated with the classification into human races, responding to a sociohistorical construction that is different in other parts of the world. In this research we generated a dataset that compiles articles published by Argentinean biomedical researchers in national and international scientific journals that use the term "race" as a population category and surveyed the labels used, their justification and methodology, among other aspects. The analysis of the articles collected shows that racial conceptualisation is practically absent in publications in local journals. When it is present, it does so in the introduction section, mentioning its use in other countries. On the other hand, in international publications we recorded numerous studies with Argentinean samples classified under racial categories. These were not consistent, explicit or substantiated, nor were the inclusion criteria explained, and frequently the origin of the samples was not stated, giving the idea of a false homogeneity of the population. Furthermore, these categories have been conceived of as exclusive and estimates of sample composition had widely differing values. The pressure to adopt unusual criteria in everyday life and the incentive to join international consortia with high funding power leads to epistemological challenges and, potentially, public health issues that need to be addressed

Art · Humanities · Political science · Biotechnology and Related Fields · Medicine and Dermatology Studies History · Public Health and Social Inequalities