In reply
I thank Dr Carter for his response to my editorial.1 Dr Carter cites examples of skin diseases that are more prevalent in "blacks." The key issue, however, is how he would try to define race when comparing groups of people in research studies.
Early in my career, I worked in an area of London where 40% of the population was Black Caribbean or Black African. That was where I developed the hypothesis that atopic dermatitis was more common in people from these ethnic groups. To test this hypothesis, I envisaged that it would be easy to come up with a definition of a "black" person based on skin pigment, hair type, facial features, and body habitus that would satisfy a small clinical study. And that is when I ran into major problems. While it appeared easy to define a typical "black" person, I encountered a large "gray" or . . . [Full Text of this Article]
