On this day 49 years ago, 30 year old Steve Biko was beaten to death by South African police. Biko had been a medical student himself. The police who killed him were not the only ones responsible for his death, but so are the doctors who were supposed to care for and advocate for him while he was in custody. Dr. Ivor Lang examined him while he was slurring his speech, not moving his body properly, and not making urine. Dr. Lang falsified records, certifying that he found "no evidence any abnormality or pathology". Dr. Benjamin Tucker, the chief district surgeon, also then examined Biko. He consulted with Dr. Colin Hersch who was concerned about brain injury and ordered a test of the fluid around Biko's brain and spine. The test showed enormous amount of blood (a normal test of this fluid would have no blood). Drs Lang and Hersch falsified medical records to indicate the test result was "normal". At times some of the doctors did recommend transfer to hospital, which the police denied. Biko collapsed. Dr. Tucker signed off on transferring him over 1,000km away. Biko was transferred with no medical monitoring, no medical escort, and handcuffed and without clothing, in the back of a police vehicle. No medical handover was given to the receiving medical team and Biko did not get any significant medical treatments. He was left completely alone and unmonitored and died on the floor of his cell. South Africa's professional physician bodies found no misconduct on the part of the doctors involved in Biko's death. 7 years later, a group of doctors took the South African Medical and Dental Council to the Supreme Court who ruled against the council, forcing them to hold disciplinary hearings. Dr. Tucker was found guilty of disgraceful conduct and was stripped of his license. He was reinstated years later. Dr. Lang was found guilty of improper conduct. He received a mild caution. He kept working until his retirement. There were no findings against Dr. Hersch and no action was taken against him. Steve Biko was killed by a violent racist system, from the police, to the doctors, and the medical organizations that protected them. But he left us with his words and he left us with his legacy. It is up to us to continue his work of dismantling systems of oppression and building a world we believe in. He has had a great impact on my own thinking, like millions of others. May he rest, and may his legacy continue to grow through us all.