Nicolas E. Barcelo

“The quality of light by which we scrutinize our lives has direct bearing upon the product which we live, and upon the changes which we hope to bring about through those lives.”—Audre Lorde [1] We are currently living in an unprecedented historical time during which efforts to unmask injustice and demand systemic change are far-reaching and unbridled.

This article originally appeared in Scientific American on June 6, 2020. The world was gaslit by misreporting about George Floyd’s initial autopsy report. As concerned physicians, we write to deconstruct the misinformation and condemn the ways this weaponization of medical language reinforced white supremacy at the torment of Black Americans.

Editor’s Note: The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd, began with the defense arguing that Floyd died of underlying medical conditions and drug use. This contradicts two autopsy reports—one by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office and the other by private doctors commissioned by Floyd’s family—that ruled the cause of death was homicide.