Tuskegee syphilis Study

"Tuskegee Syphilis Study" by Dr. Joseph Costa

Research Question: Has the history of medical science been built in the foundation of unethical  medical research/experimentation on African Americans?

Summary: A 1932 study in Tuskegee Alabama which focused on the syphilis infections in African American men and the progression of syphilis in the men. Clinicians believed that a persons race played a part in how they were affected by syphilis. African American men were specifically used in the study, believing syphilis infections were different in the African American race than the Caucasian race. 600 men were involved within the study , 399 had the infection and the rest were given the infection. The men involved in the study were simply told they were being studied for "bad blood" and never were actually informed of their diagnosis or what specifically was being studied. Majority of the men were poor uneducated sharecroppers who in no way could of consented to the study. There have been many studies taking a look into whether or not this study is stepping on or over the line of ethical dilemma and the need for informed consent.

I used the JSTOR database using the key terms unethical medical research and majority of the articles that popped up were in regard to the syphilis study, so reading through the article I was able to find more information based on the regulations that have been put in place based off the results of the syphilis study.

Costa, Joseph. "Tuskegee Syphilis Study." April 2013: 1-16. Print.