The upsurge of interest in Indigenous health in the 1950s and 1960s

During the 1950s and 1960s, there was a dramatic explosion in the number of letters to the editor about Indigenous health published in the MJA, reflecting increased reader interest. The letters from Barry Christophers were part of the Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement's largely successful campaign for equal civil rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. His letters not only drew attention to discriminatory legislation and policies, but also emphasised the structural (especially economic) determinants of Indigenous ill-health, and the negative impact on Indigenous people of racist medical representations.