Although homicide is the fourth leading cause of premature mortality in the United States and the leading cause of death for young blacks, the health professions have been largely oblivious to violence. Prevailing explanations contribute to this neglect by emphasizing biological or psychiatric factors that make homicide unpredictable as well as cultural and environmental factors such as the emergence of a new "underclass" that link violence to race, However, an analysis of cases in which no other crime is involved suggests the need to reconceptualize "primary" homicide as a byproduct of interpersonal violence, a broad category of social entrapment rooted in the politics of gender inequality and including wife abuse, child abuse, and assaults by friends and acquaintances. The data show that blacks are no more violent than whites. In addition, a majority of homicides are between social partners or involve gender stereotypes, are preceded by a series of assaults that are known to service providers, and grow out of intense social engagement about issues of male control and independence. International comparisons, tables, footnotes, and 64 references (Author abstract modified)