In studying the essay “Racism and Research: The Case of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study” written by Allan M. Brandt, it is easy to conclude that the Tuskegee study was founded entirely off racism in the medical community and had no real relevance in the study of syphilis at the experiments’ conclusion. It became something much more useful to psychologists and sociologists to understand the “pathology of racism” rather than the “pathology of syphilis.” (Brandt, 1978, p. 21) The experiment led to the senseless death of dozens of people, hidden under the guise of research that became flimsier and flimsier as years passed and penicillin became widely available. Even after the experiment was finally terminated, the HEW Final Report completely ignored
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The HEW Final Report had concluded, “fundamental ethical rule is that a person should not be subjected to avoidable risk of death or physical harm unless he freely and intelligently consents. There is no evidence that such consent was obtained from the participants in this study.” (Brandt, 1978, pg. 26) as the main point of unethicality in this experiment. It was most definitely a big part of it, but the blind eye towards the obvious racial intent of the study could be argued to be just as unethical of the HEW. Dr. Clark and Vonderlehr both went into the experiment talking badly of the men in Tuskegee, speaking as if they were another species entirely. Clark argued that blacks were more wanton than whites, and that was why they had more overall disease. “This state of affairs is due to the paucity of doctors, rather low intelligence of the Negro population in this section, depressed economic conditions, and the very common promiscuous sex relations of this population group which not only contribute to the spread of syphilis but also contribute to the prevailing indifference with regard to treatment.“ (Brandt, 1978, p. 23) In another letter Clark had written to Dr. J. E. Moore, he said “negroes are very ignorant and easily influenced by things that would be of minor significance in a more intelligent group.”(Brandt, 1978, p. 24) Clark quite obviously saw black people as a completely different subspecies compared to white people, such as many doctors and scientists of his age did. These assumptions led to many black people not getting the treatment they needed, and the death of
The HEW Final Report had concluded, “fundamental ethical rule is that a person should not be subjected to avoidable risk of death or physical harm unless he freely and intelligently consents. There is no evidence that such consent was obtained from the participants in this study.” (Brandt, 1978, pg. 26) as the main point of unethicality in this experiment. It was most definitely a big part of it, but the blind eye towards the obvious racial intent of the study could be argued to be just as unethical of the HEW. Dr. Clark and Vonderlehr both went into the experiment talking badly of the men in Tuskegee, speaking as if they were another species entirely. Clark argued that blacks were more wanton than whites, and that was why they had more overall disease. “This state of affairs is due to the paucity of doctors, rather low intelligence of the Negro population in this section, depressed economic conditions, and the very common promiscuous sex relations of this population group which not only contribute to the spread of syphilis but also contribute to the prevailing indifference with regard to treatment.“ (Brandt, 1978, p. 23) In another letter Clark had written to Dr. J. E. Moore, he said “negroes are very ignorant and easily influenced by things that would be of minor significance in a more intelligent group.”(Brandt, 1978, p. 24) Clark quite obviously saw black people as a completely different subspecies compared to white people, such as many doctors and scientists of his age did. These assumptions led to many black people not getting the treatment they needed, and the death of