Peter Buxtun

Peter Buxtun

Peter Buxtun, a public health service investigator, played a pivotal role in bringing to light one of the most infamous medical studies in American history, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Born in the early 20th century, Buxtun's actions would eventually lead to significant changes in how human subjects are treated in medical research.

Early Life and Education

Little is publicly known about the early life and education of Peter Buxtun. His background before joining the Public Health Service (PHS) is not widely documented. What is known, however, is that his sense of ethics and commitment to human rights would set him on a collision course with one of the most ethically questionable medical studies ever conducted.

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was a clinical study conducted between 1932 and 1972 by the United States Public Health Service. The study aimed to observe the natural progression of untreated syphilis in rural African-American men in Alabama under the guise of receiving free health care from the United States government.

Buxtun's Role

Peter Buxtun joined the Public Health Service as a venereal disease investigator. In the late 1960s, he learned about the Tuskegee study and was horrified to discover that the subjects were not being treated for syphilis, even after penicillin had become the standard treatment. Buxtun filed complaints with his superiors in 1966 and again in 1968, but his concerns were initially dismissed. Determined to expose the unethical nature of the study, Buxtun took his findings to the press. In 1972, his efforts culminated in a front-page story in the New York Times, which sparked public outrage and led to a congressional investigation.

Aftermath and Legacy

The exposure of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study led to significant changes in U.S. law and policy regarding the protection of participants in clinical research. In 1974, the National Research Act was passed, creating the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. The commission developed the Belmont Report, which established ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects. Peter Buxtun's whistleblowing is credited with significantly contributing to the establishment of these ethical standards in medical research. His actions underscore the importance of ethical integrity and the protection of human rights in the conduct of scientific research.

See Also

• Ethics in medical research
• History of syphilis
• Human subject research legislation in the United States