Tuskegee syphilis experiment

The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment was a study conducted by the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) between 1932 and 1972 in Tuskegee, Alabama. The study aimed to investigate the natural progression of untreated syphilis in African American men. The experiment is now considered highly unethical due to its deceptive nature and the withholding of proper treatment for the participants.

Background

The study began in 1932 when the USPHS partnered with the Tuskegee Institute to study the effects of untreated syphilis in African American men. A total of 600 participants were enrolled in the study, with 399 having latent syphilis and 201 serving as a control group. The participants were not informed of their diagnosis or the purpose of the study, and they were led to believe that they were receiving treatment for "bad blood," a term used at the time to describe various ailments.

Study procedures

Participants in the study were not informed of their syphilis diagnosis, and they were not given proper treatment. Instead, they were given placebo treatments such as aspirin and mineral supplements. Researchers withheld information about the availability of effective treatment, like penicillin, which became the standard treatment for syphilis in the 1940s.

During the course of the study, participants were subjected to invasive and sometimes painful procedures, such as spinal taps, to monitor the progression of the disease. Many participants suffered severe health complications, and some died as a direct result of untreated syphilis.

Exposure and aftermath

The unethical nature of the study was publicly exposed in 1972 by Peter Buxtun, a former USPHS employee. The story received widespread media attention, and the study was terminated later that year. A class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of the study participants led to a $10 million settlement in 1974.

In response to the public outcry over the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, the US government established the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research in 1974. This commission was tasked with developing ethical guidelines for human subject research, which resulted in the Belmont Report in 1979.

Legacy

The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment is widely considered one of the most unethical medical research studies in American history. It has had a lasting impact on research ethics, leading to the development of stricter guidelines and oversight for human subject research. The study also contributed to the deep mistrust of the medical establishment among many African Americans.

See also

• Human subject research
• Medical ethics
• Informed consent
• Belmont Report

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