Mind the Gap atlas
How conditions actually present on Black skin.
Medical textbooks almost exclusively depict conditions on light skin. That omission has delayed real diagnoses, jaundice in newborns, meningitis rashes, Lyme bullseyes, Stevens-Johnson, Kawasaki, eczema, and many more present differently on Black skin. This atlas is the written clinical reference we wish had existed: we describe the presentation, tell you what to look for, and link out to open-access imagery from peer-reviewed and respected sources (we don't host clinical photographs here).
Body system
Erythema migrans (Lyme disease) on Black skin
Key cue: Don't look for a 'bright red bullseye' on Black skin. Look for an expanding patch that's darker, duskier, or bruise-coloured.
Read the atlas pageMeningitis rash on Black skin
Key cue: Non-blanching pinpoint spots. Press a glass against the rash, if the colour stays, treat as meningococcal disease.
Read the atlas page