White Coat Clenched Fist: The Political Education of an American Physician

In the sixties, Fitzhugh Mullan was an activist in the civil rights struggle. While in medical school, Mullan was shocked by gaps in what the students learned, and the lack of humanity in the classroom. Later, Dr. Mullan was outraged at the conditions he discovered when he began to practice. He helped found the Student Health Organization, organized the Controversial Medical Collective at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, and struggled to offer improved medical care to those who needed it most and could afford it least. This landmark book charts the state of medical school and practices in the 1960s and 70s. This new edition is updated with an introduction in which Dr. Mullan reflects on the changes in the medical field over the last thirty years.