Medical Smackdown
The imagery of a game of medical smackdown is used to illustrate the confrontation between Linda Villarosa and the ob-gyn department of a hospital in a small city in the Midwest. This imagery emphasizes the tension between Villarosa and the team of white physicians, as she is trying to explain the disproportionate maternal and infant mortality rates in Black American women. The head of the department begins to push back against the work she spent years compiling and unleashes nearly every myth she had painstakingly dispelled in the article. This clash accentuates the idea that the department is blaming Black American women for the deaths of Black mothers and babies, which they believed. The use of the phrase "medical smackdown" indicates a feeling of aggression and confrontation, while also underlining the absurdity of the situation. It displays the power imbalance between the speaker and the doctors, and the difficulty of trying to make her points heard in the face of such resistance.
Pollution
Villarosa narrates, "stacks of the plant that loom in the near distance belch out thick white steam." This image is meant to paint a vivid picture of the industrial plant that has polluted the waters of Belews Lake. The stacks of the plant are described as "looming" which denotes that they are large and imposing. The "thick white steam" that is being belched out suggests that the plant is actively producing something and that the steam is a byproduct of the process. This imagery is used to create a sense of foreboding and danger, as the pollution from the plant is harming the environment and the people living in the area. It highlights the importance of the social determinants of health as they can have a significant impact on people's lives.
Dr. Freeman
Another imagery in the book is of Dr. Freeman walking down the hallway to his office, looking like a medical student but with the same gait, spit-shined shoes, and rounded back as the narrator's father. This description allows the reader to visualize the similarities between Dr. Freeman and the narrator's father, and to understand her emotional reaction to this realization. This imagery serves to humanize Dr. Freeman, demonstrating his kindness and compassion for his patients. The imagery of the patient with the "large lump on her left breast, darkened like a bruise, pushing through the skin, and painful to the touch" is also powerful and evocative, providing a vivid image of the physical reality of the woman's illness. This imagery helps the reader to understand the gravity of the situation and the importance of Dr. Freeman's work.
Workshop
Villarosa highlights a workshop with 130 physicians, nurses, and hospital staff, who are being trained in antiracism and the role of implicit bias in care and equity. The visual of a large group of medical professionals coming together to learn about how their own biases can affect the care they provide is a powerful one. It suggests that the healthcare industry is taking steps to address the racial disparities in maternal mortality, and is willing to invest time and resources into understanding and addressing the problem. The description of the workshop indicates that healthcare professionals are open to learning, growing, actively engaging with the material, and taking it seriously. Therefore, it is an image of change and progress, which offers hope that solutions can be found and the disparities in care can be reduced.
