The bare left hand is preferred. This is why it is rude to offer the left hand for a handshake. Although physicians can not solve all of these problems alone, we can definitely get the ball rolling. I have given these examples to try to portray the harsh reality in which many people live. The work to solve these problems is not going from hut to hut with a tongue depressor but going from heart to heart with a tongue of change, teaching, and hope.
Communication is the ultimate way to get across the message.
In order to dent their healthcare problems we must use our talents, resources, and media that we have here to change attitudes, educate, and establish programs that will bring a renewed hope to people who are, unfortunately, destitute, malnourished, and sick. It is especially important for African American physicians to be seen affecting healthcare in this worldwide effort, not only to improve health but also to improve the image of African Americans worldwide. Many natives of other countries have never seen an African American, a point proved by a little boy in Vietnam who rubbed his thumb against my skin to see if the color rubbed onto it. Others have seen the negative portrayal the media has embraced and propagated about us. They think we are a people who have been oppressed and who have not taken a significant place in society and who only become phenomenal basketball players.