The Tuskegee Ethical Experiments

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THE TUSKEGEE SYPHILIS EXPERIMENT
The Tuskegee syphilis study was one of the most disgraceful, immoral and unethical experiment known to mankind and to the public health system. However, it played a critical role in establishing new research regulations and guidelines in the United States.
The Tuskegee syphilis study took place in Macon County, Alabama in 1932 on a large group of African American men who were unknowingly being studied. The participants were mostly uneducated sharecroppers who were only told of having bad blood and needed to be treated for it (Sargent, 1997). The initial purpose of the study was to find whether blacks respond to syphilis differently as from whites (Satcher, 2012). However, what started as a magnanimous effort …show more content…
It is a set of ten ethical principles created in an attempt to establish standards and guidelines for medical experimentation in humans. The Nuremberg code was established to protect the human subjects and serve as a foundation for ethical clinical research (Ghooi, 2011). It was developed because of the horrors of human experimentation done by Nazi physicians and investigator, and it placed crucial attention on the fundamental rights of research participants and on the responsibilities of investigators” (Ghooi, 2011). The Nuremberg Code stresses on several essential elements such as voluntary inform consent, absence of coercion, explanations of risk and benefits involved, scientifically qualified researchers, beneficence, and freedom to withdraw from experiment at any time. These elements were all grossly violated during the Tuskegee syphilis study as participants’ were exposed to more harm than good, and their freedom to make informed decisions were dishonored. In addition, their rights to withdraw from the study once it was proven to be harmful was also violated to great …show more content…
(2011, November 15). Human Experimentation: Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. Retrieved March 2, 2017, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMeVcT-X2AA
Ghooi, R. B. (2011). The Nuremberg Code-A critique. Perspectives in Clinical Research, 2(2), 72-76.
Head, L. T. (2012, November 1). One Voice: A Commentary on the Syphilis Study at Tuskegee by a Descendant's Daughter. 22(6), 472-474.
Kerstein, D. S. (2011, August 15). The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment and Medical Ethics. University of Maryland. Retrieved March 14, 2017, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rg75zEVB1g
Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2014). Essentials of Nursing Research: Appraising Evidence for Nursing Practice (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolkers Kluwers Health: Lippincott.
Reverby, S. M. (2003). Examining Tuskegee: The Infamous Syphilis Study and Its Legacy. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina.
Sargent, J. (Director). (1997). Miss Evers' Boys [Motion Picture]. Retrieved Febuary 28, 2017, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHP1p9bRQ3Q
Satcher, D. (2012). The Legacy of the Syphilis Study at Tuskegee in African American Men on Health Care Reform Fifteen Years After President's Clinton Apology. Ethics & Behavior, 22(6),

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