Reference no: EM133312142

Assignment:

In 1932, the US Public Health Service (USPHS), working with the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, began a study to record the natural history of syphilis. It was originally called the "Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male" (now referred to as the "USPHS Syphilis Study at Tuskegee"). The study initially involved 600 Black men - 399 with syphilis, 201 who did not have the disease. Participants' informed consent was not collected. Researchers told the men they were being treated for "bad blood," a local term used to describe several ailments, including syphilis, anemia, and fatigue. In exchange for taking part in the study, the men received free medical exams, free meals, and burial insurance.

By 1943, penicillin was the treatment of choice for syphilis and becoming widely available, but the participants in the study were not offered treatment. The purpose of the study was to observe the effects of the disease when untreated, though by the end of the study medical advancements meant it was entirely treatable. The men were not informed of the nature of the experiment, and more than 100 died as a result.

Explore the USPHS Syphilis Study and discuss the ethical considerations of the case. A few questions to consider are: How has this case impacted the role of consent and institutional review in biomedical research? Do the benefits of the research outweigh the cons? Is there an alternative approach that could be taken? How do you think this study has impacted how African Americans view the government regarding health-related issues (e.g., vaccinations, trust, etc)? Don't forget to cite and the reference.