Tuskegee Syphilis Study

Here is an event that many may not be aware of:

This is from the following link: Tuskegee Syphilis Study - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


The Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932–1972), also known as the Public Health Service Syphilis Study was a clinical study, conducted around Tuskegee, Alabama, where 399 (plus 200 control group without syphilis) poor -- and mostly illiterate -- African American sharecroppers became part of a study on the treatment and natural history of syphilis. This study became notorious because it was conducted without due care to its subjects, and led to major changes in how patients are protected in clinical studies. Individuals enrolled in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study did not give informed consent and were not informed of their diagnosis; instead they were told they had "bad blood" and could receive free treatment, a free ride to clinic, one hot meal per day and in case of dying: $50 for the funeral.


Here are links that give more information about this event:

CDC Tuskegee Syphilis Study timeline

CDC Tuskegee Syphilis Study Page

University of Virginia: The Troubling Legacy Of The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

NPR: Remembering Tuskegee: Syphilis Study Still Provokes Disbelief, Sadness

Internet Resources on the Tuskeegee Study

New York Times review of HBO movie "Miss Evers' Boys".

Mary Harper; Leader in Minority Health