The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

3.) In your opinion, how should the data be used that is obtained from an unethical experiment and how can we prevent this from happening again?

The Tuskegee syphilis experiment was an infamous clinical study conducted between 1932-1972 in Macon Country, Alabama by the U.S Public Health Service. The purpose was to study the natural progression of untreated syphilis in rural African American men who thought they were receiving free health care from the U.S government; about four hundred African American men were denied. The doctors that were involved in this study had a shifted mindset; they were called “racist monsters”; “for the most part, doctors and civil servants simply did their jobs. Some merely followed orders, others worked for the glory of science” (Heller) The men that were used for the study got advantage of, especially those

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study did not only affect the participants, it also created a path for families to be unknowingly infected with syphilis. As Yoon revealed, “Since 1975, the Government… providing lifetime medical benefits to the 22 wives, 17 children, and 2 grandchildren with syphilis they may have contracted as a direct result of the lack of treatment accorded the men in the study.” Because participants were uninformed that they were infected with syphilis, they innately went on with their daily life, which included sexual intercourse. This is how the horrific disease of syphilis was spread to their significant others and children; however, the participants’ and families’ physical health was not the only aspect of their health affected. Through research, Yoon

It is probably the worst kept secret in the United States that minorities living in low income areas have the worst access to health care in the developed nation. Oftentimes they have to choose between going to the doctor to get treatment that could potentially save their lives or risk putting their families in millions of dollars’ worth of debt. Crooked CEOS jack up the prices of insulin, EpiPen’s, and a host of other lifesaving medications just to make an extra dollar. Research on Black Americans is typically underfunded, not to mention the underlying mistrust that people of color in low income communities can occasionally exhibit to doctors, police officers, etc. It is hard to trust someone in a position of authority when historically they have oppressed and hurt your people. The Tuskegee Syphilis Study, a study where black men were used as laboratory experiments to examine the effects of syphilis, is proof enough. Therefore, I propose a 3-step plan to help people livening in these situations.

After the emancipation of Black slaves, the practice of exploiting Black people for medical experimentation continued. One such instance of this is the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments of 1932; which is often cited as a pivotal point that entrenched Black people’s distrust of medical institution (Gamble, 1997). During the Tuskegee study, Black American male patients were subjected to experiments to ascertain the proper treatment for syphilis, by U.S. government-funded medical professionals (Rusert, 2009). From this study, penicillin emerged as an effective treatment for syphilis, but this treatment was withheld from many Black American patients, and many were falsely informed that they suffered from “bad blood” rather than syphilis (Rusert, 2009). This resulted in many unwitting patients dying from complications related to the disease, and infecting others.

In the chapter ‘Under the Shadow of Tuskegee: African Americans and Health Care”, focuses on the relationship between African American and medical community due to The Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Even though the original study was projected to last only 6 months, the study actually last about 40 years. The Tuskegee Syphilis Study took place from 1932 to 1972. Researchers informed the 699 men infected men and 201 uninfected that they were doing testing on “bad blood” (LaVEIST, 2002), a term used to describe illnesses such as anemia, syphilis, and fatigue. The men were promised free meal, burial insurance, and free

In the 1920’s and 1930’s syphilis was very prevalent and feared among most populations. The U.S. Public Health Service wanted to learn more about this disease and they launched six pilot projects in poor southern communities. One project was conducted in Macon County, Alabama. This project, called the Tuskegee study, was a clinical study of untreated syphilis in negro males. The Tuskegee project was meant to discover ways to improve quality care for the black community. This initiative aimed at achieving greater knowledge of syphilis spanned the course of forty years, from 1932 through 1972, before it was stopped based on ethical dilemmas.

From 1932 to 1972 the Tuskegee Syphilis Study took place and greatly affected a vulnerable population of African American men living in Macon County, Alabama. "The Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male" conducted by the U.S Public Health Service was a violation of human rights and completely dismissed the Nuremburg Code. 600 individuals who were poor, illiterate and had never received medical care were taken advantage of. The patients did not offer informed consent and were lied to by the government. They were told they were receiving treatment for "bad blood", however they were only being monitored as their syphilis progressed (Tuskegee University, 2016). This paper is designed to apply ethical principles such as respect, beneficence,

The Tuskegee Syphilis experiment was an unethical scientific study funded by the US Public Health Service that was performed on African American men in Macon County, Alabama that took place from 1932- 1972. The purpose of this experiment was to study the progress of untreated syphilis in African American men; a total of “600 black men – 399 with syphilis, 201 who did not have the disease.” (U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee, 2013) The study was conducted under false pretenses, in that the scientist lied to the patients saying they were being treated for “Bad Blood” while being provided a placebo. In 1945 penicillin was discovered to be an adequate treatment for syphilis, and everyone who could get

The research article written by Columbia University professor, Allan M. Brandt gives elaborated explanations that pertain to the development, data, recordings, and conclusions of the controversially famed, Tuskegee Syphilis Study. During the early to mid 1900’s, medical treatment options for common illnesses today, such as syphilis, were for the most part, unsuccessful. The Tuskegee Syphilis Study served as an experiment that was aimed to aid the production of a Syphilis cure. The purpose of this experiment was to extend the knowledge of scientists and doctors throughout the country about the development of syphilis in colored people. The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) aspired to condone a treatment program designed specifically for

In 1932, in the area surrounding Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama, the United States Public Health Service (PHS) and the Rosenwald Foundation began a survey and small treatment program for African-Americans with syphilis. Within a few months, the deepening depression, the lack of funds from the foundation, and the large number of untreated cases provied the government’s reseachers with what seemed to be an unprecedented opportunity to study a seemingly almost “natural” experimentation of lantent syphilis in African-American men. What had begun as a “treatment” program thus was converted by the PHS reasearchers, under the imprimatur of the Surgeon General and with knowledge and consent of the

While reading the article entitled “The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment,” the reader is able to get a deeper insight on the tests being performed for syphilis. The author explains that, “the U.S. Public Health Service initiated an experiment in Macon County, Alabama, to determine the natural course of untreated, latent syphilis in black males,” (Brandt 21). Using a total of 600 men, 400 being syphilitic and 200 being uninfected, the USPHS sought to “determine the prevalence of syphilis among blacks” and explore the possibilities for mass treatment by using the town with the highest syphilis rate (Brandt 22). Macon County serves as a perfect place for scientific research because most of the men there were never provided with previous treatment.

The Tuskegee Syphilis experiment was a study conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service and the Tuskegee Institute to determine how untreated syphilis affects African American men. The incident occurred in Macon County, Alabama, from 1932 to 1972 on the campus of The Tuskegee Institute

The book, Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, by James H. Jones, was one of the most influential books in today’s society. The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment study began in 1932 and was terminated in 1972. This book reflects the history of African Americans in the mistrust of the health care system. According to Colin A. Palmer, “James H. Jones disturbing, but enlightening Bad Blood details an appalling instance of scientific deception. This dispassionate book discusses the Tuskegee experiment, when a group of physicians used poor black men as the subjects in a study of the effects of untreated syphilis on the human body”(1982, p. 229). In addition, the author mentioned several indications of discrimination, prejudice, and stereotype toward this population. Also, this book provides multiple incidents of the maltreatment of human beings. The reader is able to identify the incompetence of the helping professions and violation of human rights, ethical issues, and dehumanize African Americans.

Early in the 20th century African Americans were living in extreme poverty, and received little to any type of healthcare. American society was divided and prejudice and racism against blacks dominated public opinion. This type of environment paved the way for “The Case of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study” which received full support from the US Public Health Services. This case study was initiated to study the effects of syphilis on the African Americans specifically if went untreated until death, followed by an autopsy to determine pathological findings. (Brandt 1978) This study influenced by racism and justification from medical professionals wanted to prove that African Americans could never mesh with white society. Medical professionals identified factors such as Darwinism, ignorance and lack of education of Blacks, and a sexually promiscuous culture to be determining factors to justify the study and prove Blacks to be inferior to Whites. (Brandt 1978) This theme was widely accepted because Blacks were not offered the same opportunities that Whites were which in turn gave false data with the premise of race being a factor for syphilis cases instead of socio-economic factors. Throughout the life span of the experiment great care was taken in order to ensure to treatment was given to the subjects and misleading information was used in order to maintain participation of the subjects for further testing. This longitudinal study, was able to provide data on the impacts of