Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment Essay Example For Students

Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment Essay : Between 1932 and 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) conducted anexperiment on 399 black men in the late stages of syphilis. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-* Copyright DueNow.com Inc. *Category:HistoryPaper Title:Tuskegee Syphilis ExperimentText:Between 1932 and 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) conducted anexperiment on 399 black men in the late stages of syphilis. These men, forthe most partilliterate sharecroppers from one of the poorest counties in Alabama, werenever told whatdisease they were suffering from or of its seriousness. Informed that theywere beingtreated for bad blood, their doctors had no intention of curing them ofsyphilis at all. We will write a custom essay on Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The data for the experiment was to be collected from autopsies of the men,and they werethus deliberately left to degenerate under the ravages of tertiary syphiliswhichcaninclude tumors, heart disease, paralysis, blindness, insanity, and death. Oneof the doctorsinvolved said: we have no further interest in these patients until theydie. The sharecroppers easy to manipulate because they were poor and liked theidea offree medical care, said James Jones. He also said they were pawns in thelongest non-therapeutic experiment on human beings in medical history. The study was to compare blacks and whites reaction to syphilis, thinkingthat whitesexperienced more neurological complications from syphilis whereas blackswould havemore cardiovascular damage. How this knowledge would have changed clinicaltreatmentof syphilis is uncertain. It took almost forty years before someone involvedin the studytook a hard and honest look at the end results, concluding that nothinglearned willprevent, find, or cure a single case of infectious syphilis or bring uscloser to our basicmission of controlling venereal disease in the United States. When themedia caught ahold of the experiment in 1972, news anchor Harry Reasoner described it as anexperiment that used human beings as laboratory animals in a long andinefficient studyof how long it takes syphilis to kill someone. By the end of the experiment, 28 of the men had died directly of syphilis,100 weredead of complications of the disease, 40 of their wives had been infected,and 19 of theirchildren had congenital syphilis. To get the community to support theexperiment, one ofthe original doctors admitted it was necessary to carry on this studyunder the guise of ademonstration and provide treatment. At first, the men were prescribed syphilisremedies of the day, bismuth, neoarsphenamine, and mercury, but in suchsmall amountsthat only 3 percent showed any improvement. These token doses of medicinewere goodpublic relations and did not interfere with the true aims of the study. Eventually, allsyphilis treatment was replaced with pink medicine aspirin. To ensurethat the menwould show up for a painful and potentially dangerous spinal tap, the PHSdoctorsmisled them with a letter full of promotional hype: Last Chance forSpecial FreeTreatment. The fact that autopsies would eventually be required was alsoconcealed. Adoctor explained, If the colored population becomes aware that acceptingfree hospitalcare means a post-mortem, every darky will leave Macon County . . . Eventhe SurgeonGeneral of the United States participated in enticing the men to remain inthe experiment,sending them certificates of appreciation after 25 years in the study. Believe it or not, not only white people took part in the experiment, blackpeoplewere also involved. The experiments name comes from the Tuskegee Institute,the blackuniversity founded by Booker T. Washington. Its affiliated hospital lent thePHS itsmedical facilities for the study, and other predominantly black institutionsas well as localblack doctors also participated. Eunice Rivers, a black nurse, played a hugepart in theexperiment for 40 years. A lot of them did it for the promise of greatrecognition. ATuskegee doctor, for example, praised the educational advantages offeredour internsand nurses as well as the added standing it will give the hospital. NurseRivers said herrole as one of passive obedience: we were taught that we neverdiagnosed, we neverprescribed; we followed the doctors instructions! It is clear that themen in theexperiment trusted her and that she sincerely cared about their well-being,but notenough. Even after the experiment was exposed to public scrutiny, shepret ty much feltnothing ethical was wrong. .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837 , .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837 .postImageUrl , .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837 , .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837:hover , .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837:visited , .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837:active { border:0!important; } .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837:active , .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837 .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc10ee9b4b969aa09f40ac471f9072837:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Why Lady Macbeth Is More Guilty EssayOne of the scariest aspects of the experiment was how strongly the PHS keptthesemen from receiving treatment. When several nationwide campaigns to erasevenerealdisease came to Macon County, the men were prevented from participating. Evenwhenpenicillin was discovered in the 1940sthe first real cure for syphilistheTuskegeemen were deliberately denied the medication. During World War II, 250 of themenregistered for the draft and were consequently ordered to get treatment forsyphilis, onlyto have the PHS exempt them. Pleased at their success, the PHS representativestated: Sofar, we are keeping the known positive patients from getting treatm ent. The experimentcontinued in spite of the Henderson Act (1943), a public health law requiringtesting andtreatment for venereal disease, and in spite of the World HealthOrganizationsDeclaration of Helsinki (1964), which specified that informed consentwas needed forexperiment involving human beings. The story finally got into the Washington Star on July 25, 1972, in anarticle byJean Heller of the Associated Press. Her source was Peter Buxtun, a formerPHS venerealdisease interviewer and one of the few whistle blowers over the years. The PHS,however, remained unmoved, claiming the men had been volunteers and werealwayshappy to see the doctors, and an Alabama state health officer who had beeninvolvedclaimed somebody is trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. Finally because of the publicity, the government ended their experiment, andforthe first time provided the men with effective medical treatment forsyphilis. Fred Gray, alawyer who had previously defended Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, filed aclassaction suit that provided a $10 million out-of-court settlement for the menand theirfamilies. The PHS did not accept the medias comparison of Tuskegee with the appallingexperiments performed by Nazi doctors on their Jewish victims during WorldWar II. Yetin addition to the medical and racist parallels, the PHS offered the same morallybankrupt defense offered at the Nuremberg trials: they claimed they werejust carryingout orders, mere cogs in the wheel of the PHS bureaucracy, exempt frompersonalresponsibility. The studys other justificationfor the greater good of scienceisequally stupid. Now my in opinion, Clinton said it best when he said: The United Statesgovernment didsomething that was wrongdeeply, profoundly, morally wrong. It was anoutrage to ourcommitment to integrity and equality for all our citizens. . . . clearlyracist. May 16,1997. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-