Tuskegee Syphilis Study: Difference between revisions

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'''The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male''' (often referred to as the '''Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment''' or '''Tuskegee Syphilis Study''') was a profoundly unethical clinical study conducted by the United States Public Health Service (PHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 1932 to 1972. The study's stated aim was to observe the natural history of untreated syphilis, but it has since been widely condemned for its unethical treatment of participants, particularly its deception of the African-American men who were the subjects of the study.
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== Overview and Background == <!--T:2-->
The '''Tuskegee Syphilis Study''' was an unethical clinical study conducted between 1932 and 1972 by the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study aimed to observe the natural progression of untreated [[syphilis]] in rural African American men in [[Macon County, Alabama]], under the guise of receiving free health care from the government.


The Tuskegee Study began in 1932 in Macon County, Alabama, where the PHS and CDC enrolled 600 impoverished African-American sharecroppers. Of these men, 399 had latent syphilis and a control group of 201 did not have the disease. The men were told they were being treated for "bad blood", a local term used to describe several ailments, including syphilis, anemia, and fatigue.
==Background==
The study began in 1932 during the [[Great Depression]], at a time when there were few treatments for syphilis. The USPHS recruited 600 African American men, 399 with syphilis and 201 without, under the pretense of receiving free medical care, meals, and burial insurance. The men were told they were being treated for "bad blood," a local term used to describe several ailments, including syphilis, anemia, and fatigue.


== Study Design and Implementation == <!--T:3-->
==Study Design==
The study was originally intended to last six months but continued for 40 years. The men were never informed of their diagnosis, nor were they treated with [[penicillin]] after it became the standard treatment for syphilis in 1947. Instead, they were given placebos such as aspirin and mineral supplements.


The men were given free medical exams, free meals, and burial insurance, but were not informed of their syphilis diagnosis nor treated for it. Instead, they were monitored to study the progression of the disease. Even when penicillin became the drug of choice for syphilis in 1947, researchers did not offer it to the subjects. The advisory panel had agreed to continue the study without treating the men for syphilis and without informing them of the diagnosis.
==Ethical Violations==
The study is widely regarded as one of the most egregious examples of unethical medical research in U.S. history. The participants were not given informed consent, and the researchers knowingly failed to treat them, even after penicillin became available. The study continued until 1972, when it was exposed by a whistleblower, [[Peter Buxtun]], leading to public outrage and its eventual termination.


== Ethical Concerns and Termination of the Study == <!--T:4-->
==Impact and Legacy==
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study had a profound impact on medical ethics and led to significant changes in U.S. law and regulation concerning the protection of human subjects in clinical studies. The [[National Research Act]] was passed in 1974, leading to the establishment of the [[National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research]] and the creation of the [[Belmont Report]], which outlined ethical principles and guidelines for research involving human subjects.


The study has been widely condemned for its ethical violations. These include the deception of the study's subjects, the withholding of treatment, and the lack of informed consent. The study was stopped only in 1972 when a leak to the press resulted in public outrage.
==Apology and Reparations==
In 1997, President [[Bill Clinton]] formally apologized on behalf of the United States to the survivors of the study and their families. The apology acknowledged the government's role in the study and the harm it caused to the participants and their communities.


== Aftermath and Legacy == <!--T:5-->
==Related pages==
* [[Belmont Report]]
* [[National Research Act]]
* [[Human experimentation in the United States]]


In the aftermath of the study, the U.S. government paid a $10 million out-of-court settlement in 1974, and the PHS promised to provide free medical treatment to surviving participants and their family members infected as a consequence of the study. The Tuskegee Health Benefit Program was established to provide these services.
==References==
* Jones, James H. (1993). ''Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment''. New York: Free Press. ISBN 978-0029166765.
* Reverby, Susan M. (2009). ''Examining Tuskegee: The Infamous Syphilis Study and Its Legacy''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0807833100.


The study had a significant impact on medical ethics regulations. In 1974, the National Research Act was signed into law, creating the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. The Commission was tasked with identifying the basic ethical principles that should underlie the conduct of biomedical and behavioral research involving human subjects.
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Tuskegee-syphilis-study_doctor-injecting-subject.jpg|Doctor injecting a subject
File:Tuskegee_study.jpg|Participants of the study
File:Tuskegee-syphilis-study_subjects-talking-to-nurse-eunice-rivers.jpg|Subjects talking to Nurse Eunice Rivers
File:Tuskegee-syphilis-study_doctor_injects_subject_with_placebo.gif|Doctor injecting a subject with placebo
File:vonderle.gif|Image related to the study
File:Eugene_Dibble.jpg|Eugene Dibble
File:Eunice_Rivers.jpg|Eunice Rivers
File:Oliver_Wenger.jpg|Oliver Wenger
File:Peter_Buxtun.jpg|Peter Buxtun
File:Tuskegee-syphilis-experiment-test-subjects.gif|Test subjects
File:Charlie_Pollard.jpg|Charlie Pollard
File:Herman_Shaw.jpg|Herman Shaw
File:Syphilis-poster-wpa-cure.jpg|WPA poster about syphilis cure
File:Tuskegeeletter.jpg|Letter related to the study
File:Tuskegee-syphilis-study_autopsy-request.gif|Autopsy request
File:Tuskegee-syphilis-experiment_draft_report_1.gif|Draft report 1
File:Tuskegee-syphilis-experiment_draft_report_2.gif|Draft report 2
File:Tuskegee-syphilis-experiment_table-subjects.gif|Table of subjects
File:Tuskegee-syphilis-study_termination-memo.gif|Termination memo
</gallery>


== See Also == <!--T:6-->
[[Category:Human subject research in the United States]]
* [[Medical ethics]]
* [[Human subject research]]
* [[Syphilis]]
== External links == <!--T:8-->
* [https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm CDC: Tuskegee Study Timeline]
* [https://bioethicsarchive.georgetown.edu/achre/final/subpartc.html#n7 Ethics of the Tuskegee Study]
{{stub}}
[[Category:Medical ethics]]
[[Category:Medical ethics]]
[[Category:Human subject research in the United States]]
[[Category:Syphilis]]
[[Category:United States Public Health Service]]
[[Category:Ethically disputed medical practices]]

Revision as of 01:20, 10 February 2025


The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was an unethical clinical study conducted between 1932 and 1972 by the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study aimed to observe the natural progression of untreated syphilis in rural African American men in Macon County, Alabama, under the guise of receiving free health care from the government.

Background

The study began in 1932 during the Great Depression, at a time when there were few treatments for syphilis. The USPHS recruited 600 African American men, 399 with syphilis and 201 without, under the pretense of receiving free medical care, meals, and burial insurance. The men were told they were being treated for "bad blood," a local term used to describe several ailments, including syphilis, anemia, and fatigue.

Study Design

The study was originally intended to last six months but continued for 40 years. The men were never informed of their diagnosis, nor were they treated with penicillin after it became the standard treatment for syphilis in 1947. Instead, they were given placebos such as aspirin and mineral supplements.

Ethical Violations

The study is widely regarded as one of the most egregious examples of unethical medical research in U.S. history. The participants were not given informed consent, and the researchers knowingly failed to treat them, even after penicillin became available. The study continued until 1972, when it was exposed by a whistleblower, Peter Buxtun, leading to public outrage and its eventual termination.

Impact and Legacy

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study had a profound impact on medical ethics and led to significant changes in U.S. law and regulation concerning the protection of human subjects in clinical studies. The National Research Act was passed in 1974, leading to the establishment of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research and the creation of the Belmont Report, which outlined ethical principles and guidelines for research involving human subjects.

Apology and Reparations

In 1997, President Bill Clinton formally apologized on behalf of the United States to the survivors of the study and their families. The apology acknowledged the government's role in the study and the harm it caused to the participants and their communities.

Related pages

References

  • Jones, James H. (1993). Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. New York: Free Press. ISBN 978-0029166765.
  • Reverby, Susan M. (2009). Examining Tuskegee: The Infamous Syphilis Study and Its Legacy. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0807833100.

Gallery

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