ipl-logo

Tuskegee Studies

1195 Words5 Pages

According to Carol A. Heintzelman (2003, Vol. 10, No. 4), the Tuskegee study of untreated syphilis in the African American male was the longest nontherapeutic experiment on human beings in medical history. The study began in 1932 in Macon County, Alabama, where the government used 600 men in a forty-year experiment. The purpose of the Tuskegee study was to record the history of syphilis in blacks, but to ultimately determine if syphilis had the same effect on African Americans as whites. The African American men were told that they were receiving free “treatment” for “bad blood”, in which case they thought they were being treated for different ailments. But in actuality they were being injected with syphilis and watched to see how their …show more content…

In this case, the question of this experiment was, “Does the prevalence of syphilis have the same effect on African American and whites?” Syphilis was said to be a “black” disease. In order to see if this question was true, a special type of person was needed, “the poor African American male”. The men who were chosen to participate in this experiment were very poor, had little to no education, worked on cotton fields, and had become accustom to their living conditions such as racism and lack of health care, and made it their lifestyle. Fred Grey (1998, p. 36) stated “I am sure that only a handful of the 600 participants… had ever been treated by a physician. This was the state of health care in Macon County at the time the men were selected to enter the …show more content…

The science in this is the scientific experiment of taking a subject in this case African American men and using them as guinea pigs to test their reaction due to the injection of syphilis. The public policy in this experiment is that the unawareness of what the men were getting themselves into and how they were being told misleading promises. In conclusion, the Tuskegee Syphilis study is not a study, but an experiment. The Tuskegee syphilis study can be broken down clearly using the scientific method. The experiment overall was unethical and the participants in no way shape or form deserved this. In order to compensate the participants and their families, the U.S. government promised lifetime medical benefits and burial services to all living participants, their wives, widow, and offspring and in 1997, President Clinton issued a formal apology to the participants and their

Show More
Related

Tuskegee Airmen Research Paper

425 Words | 2 Pages

The Tuskegee Airmen or the red tails is the popular name of a group of African-American military pilots (fighter and bomber) who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nc1 Fighter group and the 447th bombardment of the United States Army Air Forces. The 99th Pursuit Squadron (later, 99th Fighter Squadron) was the first black flying squadron and they were the first to deploy overseas. Benjamin 0. Davis Jr. was an American United States Air Force and commander of the WW2 Tuskegee Airmen.

Read More

Malnourishment In The Antebellum South

285 Words | 2 Pages

The physicians thought that malnourishment affected the growth of the slaves, therefore it created problems in their development (Smith 1). The Antebellum South lacked physicians and these physicians had an insufficient

Read More

Henrietta Lacks Informed Consent Essay

1650 Words | 7 Pages

Around the 1900s, doctors’ experimentation on their patients that involved their consent had raised little concern. Between 1920 and 1930, Syphilis was a crucial health problem. Healthcare was offered to people who earned low incomes in the South. African Americans were normally low-income citizens in the South and they were not perceived equal to whites. They were prone to have more health problems.

Read More

Tuskegee Syphilis Study Research Papers

951 Words | 4 Pages

Dr. Clark ended up retiring, and Vonderlehr took his place as the head of venereal studies of the PHS. He then went forward with his plan to turn the nine month study into a long-term follow-up study of untreated syphilis in the black male. Vonderlehr went on developing all the policies for the next part of the experiment. Little did he know these policies would be in place for the next 40 years. Dr. Vonderlehr’s assistant and mentee was a man named John R. Heller.

Read More

Why Is Henrietta Lacks Unethical

1416 Words | 6 Pages

In Tuskegee, Alabama a group of men were chosen for an experiment involving the observation of how syphilis occurs in black men and its long term non-treated consequences. At the time of the experiment, the only treatment that was available was a heavy metal therapy; however, the scientists believed it was doing more harm than good. Therefore, they did not inform the men about the treatment and distracted them with basic incentives like hot meals and transportation. When penicillin, a cure for syphilis, was discovered the doctors made the decision to shield the cure away from the men. This is proof that scientists are

Read More

Henrietta Lacks Informed Consent

948 Words | 4 Pages

In the context of medical research, informed consent provides individuals with the opportunity to accept or decline involvement in research, and thereby adheres to their right to choose. Obtaining consent from donors is not limited to simply seeking permission, but involves explaining the nature and consequences of research in an honest and understandable manner. When this aspect of informed consent is ignored, unethical research ensues. For example, during the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments, US Public Health researchers studied the progression of syphilis in African American men, under the false pretense of curing their “bad blood”. Though a treatment of penicillin was available at the time, researchers idly observed as subjects died painful, preventable deaths.

Read More

Tuskegee Study Violations

600 Words | 3 Pages

A study known as "The Tuskegee Study" S. (2015, July 31) was conducted for forty years (U.S. Public Health, 2017), on the progression of untreated Syphilis in the African American population. It was believed that their bodies were inferior to whites and that the disease would act differently in their bodies. This author feels that the study was unnecessary, heartbreaking and unethical. The Belmont Report lists "respect for others, beneficence, and justice" (Protections, O. F.,2016) as the essentials of ethics.

Read More

Ethical Principles Of Tuskegee Study

228 Words | 1 Pages

The first ethical principle the Tuskegee study violated is known as informed consent. The victims were not made fully aware of the potential risk and harm that they were subjected to during the duration of the study. In addition, by luring in victims with the promise of receiving proper medical treatment and then deceiving them did not in anyway shape or form promote the well being of the subjects. Instead, as the video stated victims were subjected to dangerous diagnostics procedures and given ineffective treatment. Information and treatment options were withheld from the subject at great lengths.

Read More

Essay On Tuskegee Study

546 Words | 3 Pages

The Tuskegee study of Untreated Syphilis began in 1932, mainly designed to determine the history of untreated latent syphilis on 600 African American men in Tuskegee, Alabama. 201 out of 600 men were non-syphilitic just unknowingly involved in the study as a control group This study is known to be “the most infamous biomedical research study in the U.S history”. Most of these men had never visited a doctor and they had no idea what illness they had. All of the men agreed to be a participant thinking they were being treated for “bad blood” and plus they were given free medical care and meals.

Read More

Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment Essay

520 Words | 3 Pages

It has now been a quarter of a century, and yet the images and heartache that still evolve when the words "Tuskegee Syphilis Study" are brought up, still haunts people around the world and touches upon many professionals such as social workers, medical examiners, and so forth. Sometimes people hear about this disgusting human experiment in a highly visible way directed to the entire country as an example of what we as a country and people, in general, should not do. This occurred when the study first made national news in 1972, when President Clinton offered a formal apology, or when Hollywood actors star in a fictionalized television movie of the story. On the other hand the audience may become fainter: kept alive only by memories and stories told in the African American community, in queries that circulate over the world wide web and radio talk shows, or even in courses such as this one being taught by social workers, historians, sociologists, or bioethicists. This is neither the first nor the last unethical human experiment done under the human study for the medical purposes umbrella, basically stating it is ok to sacrifice a few people in the name of medical research.

Read More

Stanford Prison Study Pros And Cons

536 Words | 3 Pages

For the Stanford Prison Study, it would have been ideal if stricter rules and guidelines were in place that clearly mentioned the roles of participants in such experiments, including appropriate behavior guidelines. This could have ensured that such experiments don’t go beyond their intended boundaries and that the rights of the participants are well respected. For the Immunization Study, stringent rules should have been in place that require more detailed assessment of the potential risks associated with such experiments, prior to the actual conduct of such research. Furthermore, proper medical attention and facilities should have been provided to the exposed population to ensure their

Read More

Argumentative Essay On Kindred

313 Words | 2 Pages

Kindred Research 2: Medicine Long ago, diseases were spread rapidly amongst the country, and the lack of medical advancements did not leave much room for survival. Physicians were nowhere near as skilled as they are today, yet they were still important as they were the only hope for treatments. It has always been debatable, however, whether slaves had access to the same amount of medical attention as their owner. Despite the controversy, slaves were not subjected to the same medical attention for many reasons. For one, the doctors best interests were with the owners rather than the slaves themselves (“Birthing a Slave”).

Read More

Unethical Behavior In Miss Evers Boys

1342 Words | 6 Pages

The study would ultimately prove that everyone, no matter the color of their skin, is equal when it comes to the disease of syphilis. The intention behind manipulating the men was not for the greater good of society, but instead was for the greater good of Dr. Brodus and Miss Evers. Although the actions of Dr. Brodus and Miss Evers prove to be unethical, I also find the actions to be unprofessional. Miss Evers should have informed the men of the severity of the disease, as well as how the disease is passed from one individual to another. They failed to inform their patients of many of the risks that came along with the disease.

Read More

Explain The Three Basic Ethical Principles That Are Meant To Protect Human Subjects During Research

1686 Words | 7 Pages

The research involved six hundred African-American men, four hundred of whom were injected with syphilis (Field, 2004). They were later monitored for forty years till 1972. Although a confirmed cure became accessible in the 1950s, the research was prolonged up to 1972 with partakers being deprived of treatment. After the death of many subjects, the research was stopped in 1973 due to mounting pressure from the public. Declaration of Helsinki

Read More

Ethical Principles In The Film 'Miss Evers Boys'

1121 Words | 5 Pages

This study was referred to as the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis

Read More

More about Tuskegee Studies

Open Document