Summary of Article
African American men were targeted for a Syphilis study in 1932. It became one of the most unethical studies ever in United States history. This story became widely publicized in 1972 which caused the research to cease. Unethical research such as not disclosing the real reasons for the study left men sick and vulnerable. It eventually affected the men and their families. The effects of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study were felt for many years and many generations later. One positive outcome was the implementation of the National Research Act of 1974. The unethical acts could have been avoided by working from a “I treat you the way I want to be treated” philosophy.

Medical research is usually considered life changing and for the better good of mankind because of positive advances that come from it. In 1932 when Caucasian doctors and the United States Public Health Service sponsored a study to research the effects of syphilis in African American men. This was not study for the better good of mankind. 400 African American men who already had contracted syphilis were enrolled in the study along with 200 uninfected men who served as control participants. “In the late 1940s, penicillin first became available to the general public as a cure for syphilis. However, the decision was made not to make it available to study participants, who were allowed to continue in the study without any treatment for their disease. They were continually supplied with placebos, and no attempt was made to inform them of possible alternatives to the so-called medicine that they were being given. As late as 1969, the Centers for Disease Control recommended the study continue” (Tuskegee Syphilis Study, 2010).

In 1972 (40 long years after it began) and due to the fact that social media made the story well-advertised, the Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs appointed an advisory panel to review it. “A report was issued by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare that stated that the study was “scientifically unsound and its results are disproportionately meager compared with known risks to the human subjects involved” (Tuskegee Syphilis Study, 2010). Hearings were led by Senator Edward Kennedy. Those hearings resulted in the 1974 passage to the National Research Act of 1974. “A lawsuit was filed in 1973, on behalf of the survivors of the study and the heirs and representatives of the participants who had since died, against the various federal government agencies, the State of Alabama, the private foundation that provided original funding, and individual physicians working for the U.S. Public Health Service. Eventually, a monetary settlement of $10 million was reached with the parties” (Tuskegee Syphilis Study, 2013). At a ceremony held at the White House In 1997, President Bill Clinton publically apologized for the role played by the federal government in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. He acknowledged that what the government did was shameful. He apologized on behalf of the United States Government.

“In general, research must be designed so that a participant does not suffer physical harm, discomfort, pain, embarrassment, or loss of privacy” (Cooper and Schindler, p 32). Participants were not offered informed consent. The doctors did not discuss the risks of the research, they were not educated, and they didn’t know to ask about the details. An additional unethical behavior in this study was that 400 men who had syphilis didn’t know that they were receiving only placebos. Treatments were available but withheld from the participants. Syphilis causes sores, rashes, blood vessel and heart problems. These men suffered physical harm during this study because they received no medication. These men were also deceived because they did not know the true reason for the study, which was to see what effects syphilis had on African American men.

The injured parties in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study were initially 600 African American men. Because the study lasted for 40 years, the injured parties eventually included spouses and children. These participants were not safeguarded as they should have been. “In general research must be designed so that a participant does not suffer physical harm, discomfort, pain, embarrassment, or loss of privacy” (Cooper & Schindler, p 32). These men received no treatment for the disease even after it was available. The unethical behavior affected individuals and society in many different ways. One example is that there were treatments available when the study began; however, the decision was made to withhold any treatment for the participants. The disease was known to cause “sores, rashes and in later states serious blood vessel and heart problems, mental disorders, blindness, nerve system problems, and even death in latter states” (Tuskegee Syphilis Study, 2010). Society as a whole eventually benefited from the study, but only because congress passed the National Research Act of 1974. The National Research Act of 1974 requires institutions wanting to research or study human beings to be approved by the Institutional Review Board before they can begin. This act sets forth stringent guidelines for conducting research on humans.
I believe the unethical behavior could have been avoided if the doctors would have had treated their subjects as they would like to have been treated. Most of all if the doctors would have honestly informed the participants about the risks and or benefits the men would have had the knowledge to make informed decisions about their health. The only way for the unethical behavior to be resolved would have been to eliminate the entire study and compensate the men who were injured because of it.
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was an injustice to human beings. The unethical behavior involved lack of information, care and treatment. It was not only the 600 African American men in the study that were injured. Their families felt the repercussions as well. The one good thing that came from this study is the National Research Act of 1974. This helps to prevent something like this happening again. Because of this study ethical research is a way of life.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). U.S. Public heath service syphilis study at Tuskegee. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm
Cooper, D. & Schindler, P. (2011). Business Research Methods (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Reference for ISBN= 9781414436845 AND Document Title=… Tuskegee Syphilis Study. (2010). In D. Batten (Ed.), Gale Encyclopedia of American Law (3rd ed., Vol. 10, pp. 133-134). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?query=&prodId=OVIC&contentModules=&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=2&catId=&activityType=&documentId=GALE%7CCX1337704429&source=Bookmark&u=uphoenix&jsid=3e8a204930a315d7cced3ed3815223c9