The Tuskagee Syphilis Study
In 1932, the “Tuskagee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male” began. This study involved a large number of African American men; some who did not have syphilis, and some that did. The doctors told these men that they were being treated for “bad blood” and in return these men received medical benefits (CDC). The problem that arose with the study, was that these men were not actually ever treated for syphilis. These men were never told the full extent of the study and how it would affect their lives. These men were even withheld from knowing about Penicillin, a treatment that came about while the study went on. These men were deceived into thinking this study was to help them, when in reality the study was …show more content…
This study should have never lasted 40 years. I am appalled that the doctors failed to let the participants know about the rights they have as patients. Their rights to informed consent and patient confidentiality (Tuskagee University). These men were not informed of their right to refuse the treatment or opt out at any time if they so desired. These men had no confidentiality with their health or their records. The participants were treated more like guinea pigs and less like humans. The researchers led a study that was not only unethical, but an endangerment to everyone in the community. The participants were infecting others due to the lack of safety and lack of much needed precautions within the study (Tuskagee University). I will never understand how these researchers got away with what they did for so long. It breaks my heart knowing that these men placed their trust in the hands of their healthcare providers only to find out they were never a priority in the first …show more content…
I would hope that nothing like this would happen again, but I think in life anything can happen. I believe there are more protocols put into place, and I believe that pulling something like this again would be a lot harder. We now have forms of consent that involve written, expressed, and implied, but even with it being more difficult to accomplish, I do feel there is always a small chance of this happening again. Healthcare providers possess a lot of power within communities. The majority of the population will choose to go along with what the doctors say. It would be easy for a doctor to recommend an experimental study to a patient who has a life-threatening disease. Patients who are dying are all out of options and tend to be more willing towards trying out new things in order to gain a year or two. It would also be easy for a doctor to withhold some information from a patient. The patient may sign a form, but that form could be leaving out important information. There is a trust between doctors and their patients, a trust that could easily be used to deceive a
In 1932, the “Tuskagee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male” began. This study involved a large number of African American men; some who did not have syphilis, and some that did. The doctors told these men that they were being treated for “bad blood” and in return these men received medical benefits (CDC). The problem that arose with the study, was that these men were not actually ever treated for syphilis. These men were never told the full extent of the study and how it would affect their lives. These men were even withheld from knowing about Penicillin, a treatment that came about while the study went on. These men were deceived into thinking this study was to help them, when in reality the study was …show more content…
This study should have never lasted 40 years. I am appalled that the doctors failed to let the participants know about the rights they have as patients. Their rights to informed consent and patient confidentiality (Tuskagee University). These men were not informed of their right to refuse the treatment or opt out at any time if they so desired. These men had no confidentiality with their health or their records. The participants were treated more like guinea pigs and less like humans. The researchers led a study that was not only unethical, but an endangerment to everyone in the community. The participants were infecting others due to the lack of safety and lack of much needed precautions within the study (Tuskagee University). I will never understand how these researchers got away with what they did for so long. It breaks my heart knowing that these men placed their trust in the hands of their healthcare providers only to find out they were never a priority in the first …show more content…
I would hope that nothing like this would happen again, but I think in life anything can happen. I believe there are more protocols put into place, and I believe that pulling something like this again would be a lot harder. We now have forms of consent that involve written, expressed, and implied, but even with it being more difficult to accomplish, I do feel there is always a small chance of this happening again. Healthcare providers possess a lot of power within communities. The majority of the population will choose to go along with what the doctors say. It would be easy for a doctor to recommend an experimental study to a patient who has a life-threatening disease. Patients who are dying are all out of options and tend to be more willing towards trying out new things in order to gain a year or two. It would also be easy for a doctor to withhold some information from a patient. The patient may sign a form, but that form could be leaving out important information. There is a trust between doctors and their patients, a trust that could easily be used to deceive a