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The Purpose Of The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

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The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was an unethical study used to find treatments for syphilis. The doctors lied to and kept information from the patients involved. The doctors had also decided to perform the study without proper consent of their patients. However, the study was done with good cause. Even though unethical, the study was used to find treatment for those with the illness who would need it. The main purpose of the study was, “...to record the natural history of syphilis in hopes of justifying treatment programs for blacks.” (U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee) This shows that some benefit came from all of the bad of the study. The doctors performed the study, “... to understand the disease's natural history throughout time and to also determine proper treatment dosage for specific people and the best time to receive injections of treatments.” (Reverby, Susan.) This shows that there was a justified purpose of the study. In conclusion, although morally wrong, the study was justified and had purpose. …show more content…

The doctors involved in the study, “...had allowed hundreds of African-American men with syphilis to go untreated so that scientists could study the effects of the disease.” (Waxman, Olivia B.) This shows how the patients were mistreated and that the doctors didn’t care about their health. The doctors had allowed, “...200 or so... to suffer the disease and its side effects without treatment, even after penicillin was discovered as a cure for syphilis...” (Waxman, Olivia B.) This shows how even after a treatment was found, the doctors still refused treatment to most of the patients. In conclusion, the study was unethical and the doctors didn’t care about the health of their

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