The invisible malady: sickle cell anemia in America, 1910-1970.

Though several articles have appeared on the history of sickle cell anemia in the United States, none has dealt with the dissemination of information from the scientific community to the public. It is an interesting commentary on our society that 60 years have passed before this important but racially oriented disease has reached the public forum. In this article, the author tries to describe the major events in the history of sickle cell anemia and to explain why it has not been publicized.