The Tuskegee Study: Progression Of Syphilis

Tuskegee Study The Tuskegee Study was conducted at such a time wherein syphilis became widespread. Syphilis during this time did not have any cure or therapy which made the researchers curious to how it will affect the body system. Their main goal was to monitor and know the progression of syphilis without any medicine or therapy. The Tuskegee Study started in Macon County and they employed about 600 African Americans as their subjects. Half of them were infected with syphilis and the other half constitutes those who were healthy. They convinced these African American men that they were being treated for whatever sickness they may have, be it coughing or even disorders regarding the stomach. The Public Health Service doctors even bribed these

The subjects who were infected with syphilis died from either heart or central nervous system problems. Blood tonics and medicines of all sorts were given to the subjects of which they have no prior knowledge about. Two ethical principles were violated by the fore-runners of the Tuskegee Study namely: the principles of non-maleficence and autonomy. The research subjects’ welfare should be the first thing to be considered rather than the researchers’ own interests. The researchers were selfish in a way that they purposely never gave these men the potential treatment for their disease which is syphilis. They only gave them placebos and other metallic elements which may cause harm to the body. They have done harm to these innocent people. The objectives or the goal of the research was not clearly stated to the subjects. The African American subjects were not given the right to informed consent. Researchers manipulated these men especially those who were given war duties, they made sure that everything was under their control. The reports never made mention of the freedom of the subjects to refuse taking part in the research which proves that the researchers are guilty of fooling these

Hence, three experiments will only be mentioned in this essay. The experiments were mainly done to help in making combat strategies against the Nazis’ enemy and for treating affected soldiers. First and foremost, freezing experiments were made upon Jews and Romas in German concentration camps. Heinz Reimer a prisoner of a concentration camp was subjected to freezing water. This was done to identify how the body tries to cope up in decreasing (cold) temperatures. Secondly, Reimer was also infected with diseases intentionally in hopes that the Nazis may know the cure to certain diseases. He was trapped in a chamber and was bitten by hundreds of Anopheles mosquitoes. 46 injections of Atebrin was inserted into his body. The Nazis were using him as trial and error for determining medications used in treating Malaria. Lastly, twins were being used as subjects for the research of Verschuer and Mengele, his apprentice. Mengele kidnapped twins to identify the ultimate source of certain diseases occurring within the family and the role of genetics on diseases. The Nazis other goal was to determine and assure that Jewish people are below or more inferior than them. Mengele was so engrossed with genetics that he would pull out their eyes to give it to Magnussen who is in charge of eye pigmentation. He was obsessed in finding out how to change the color of the human eye. He introduced