by addressing inequities of the time with access to medical knowledge

GoodTaste

Key Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2016
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
The Lancet was founded in 1823 by Thomas Wakley with the vision to drive positive social change by advancing medical research and science for the greater good, by addressing inequities of the time with access to medical knowledge for “medical and surgical practitioners” in the UK and the British colonies (as they were referred to at the time), and by being more than a medical journal.

Source: The Lancet

I understand "by addressing inequities of the time with access to medical knowledge" as "by addressing inequities of the time that are especially about access to medical knowledge".

That is, the question here is the meaning of the word "with"- which seems to me that the inequities are all about the access to MK rather than something else. I am not sure whether I am on the right track.

What does the word exactly mean?
 

jutfrank

VIP Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
I think the intended meaning is that access to medical knowledge is the thing with which inequities were addressed. It's the sense of 'with' for something used as a tool, as in She hit him with a frying pan.

It's more or less equivalent to saying ... by addressing the inequities of the time by providing access to medical knowledge ... in the sense that access to medical knowledge was the means by which inequities were addressed.
 
Top