Ethical Directives And Practices Of The Tuskegee Scandal

This chapter reviews the long-term effect the experiment had on the African American population. Specifically, it discusses the effects the experiment has on the relationships between black and the American population and health care professionals. After the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, the African American population became very critical of health care professionals, therefore, they ignored the warnings given about the prevention and epidemic of AIDS. If it was not for the experiment that rightfully made black individuals not trust health care professional the rate of AIDS would have been lower, and less people would have been infected. Overall, the chapter goes to show that it is important for health care professional to be honest and transparent with patients and the population, so that a strong relationship can be formed so that there can be advances in health

Inferior Medical Techniques and Medical Ethics in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Throughout the medical field, doctors, surgeons, and nurses have found ways to create inferior treatment while they stayed inside the rules and boundaries of the medical field. The community that suffered most from these techniques was the African American community. Doctors treated African Americans with unsterile equipment, had procedures performed that were not specified before operation, and had parts of their own body stolen for examination without proper consent. African Americans and Caucasians earned totally different treatment because to the color of their skin which caused a conflict of ethics. The medical professionals has misinterpreted, ignored,

In the Tuskegee Study, the participants were wrongfully used as human subjects for forty years by being withheld curative treatment.   Secondly, the physicians violated the International Code of Ethics throughout the entire Tuskegee Study.   The International Code of Ethics states physicians are responsible for promoting the health, well-being, and rights of patients (WMA).   Once Penicillin was found to cure syphilis, the physicians willingly allowed the participants to go untreated.

And they did so on the campus - and at the very same time - that state officials were conducting the infamous Tuskegee syphilis studies” (Skloot 97). Situational irony is pointed out when the author talks about the Tuskegee study. When the Tuskegee Institute began operating the HeLa Factory the infamous syphilis study was happening at the same time. The irony is the HeLa cell are used to save people’s lives, but many African-Americans were dying. This helps develops the theme of scientific ethics and how far should doctors be allowed to go for research.

The Tuskegee Syphilis experiment was an experiment conducted on 399 black mean during the course of forty years. The subjects for this experiment were illiterate

Through an abundance of medical and historical accounts, Medical Apartheid and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks exemplify how institutional racism has shaped the lives of African Americans. From the beginning of slavery through emancipation, African Americans have overwhelmingly been at the center of unethical medical research. The vast majority of this research has been done unwillingly. For research and experimentation that received the participant’s permission, there were usually hidden elements they were unaware of. Henrietta Washington sites specific examples, ranging from experimentation on plantations to post-emancipation radiation testing on African Americans.

The three principles: Do no harm, informed consent, and voluntary participation were all extremely violated in this experiment. The reason these men participated in this study was only because they were promised by government officials free treatment for syphilis. These men were never informed about the real purpose of the study and they were never told about the dangers they were going to face. They were in many ways taken advantage of. According to the original proposal, the Tuskegee study was to be finished at the end of 6 months.

Additionally, this point protects against loss of confidentiality and deception. Within the decades the Tuskegee Experiment lasted, participants were subjected to medical procedures that required them to endure massive amount of pain at one time. Because participants were barred from administration of the penicillin , they suffered for years of syphilis symptoms. Many of the human subjects transmitted the disease to their families, wives and children. On the course of the study, the researchers even allowed the death of some of the participants.

Without the subjects' knowledge or agreement, these tests were conducted with utter disregard for their welfare. The protection of human life and dignity cannot be compromised in the name of scientific progress. They serve as a sobering reminder of the value of sustaining moral standards in all scientific study and the ethical ramifications of these experiments, which are still being argued today. The legacy of the Nazi medical experiments serves as a sobering reminder of the atrocities that may be perpetrated in the name of a belief system and the repercussions of disrespecting human

For 40 years, many African Americans in Alabama that were infected with syphilis were left untreated as part of an experiment to determine how “different” syphilis affected blacks. This was an orchestrated even by the United States Public Health Service, and other organizations; whose job is to protect the public. Syphilis is a highly contagious infection spread by sexual contact. If untreated, it can cause bone and dental deformations, deafness, blindness, heart disease and deterioration of the central nervous system. The participants, mostly made of poor, uneducated black men, were lured into the program with false pretenses, not advising of the infections they carried (Heller).

The Tuskegee Syphillis Study, the Nazi scientific experiments on Prisoners of War during the Second World War are all extreme cases that exaggerate the need for an ethical approach with regard to health. The argument behind conspiracy theories is that diseases may be man made for purpose of experimentation or scientism for the acquisition of knowledge. Other than the immoral and unethical implications as highlighted by these studies, the need for absolute permeability to access treatment is highlighted This is particularly salient in the Tuskegee Syphillis Study in which the sample was not treated for the disease. Although the issues have been debated and opaque nature of seeking treatment has been debunked, there still exists several several factors which prevents persons from seeking treatment which may be rooted in fear of stigmatization, prejudice and/ or discrimination. This is especially the case with sexually transmitted diseases and sexually transmitted infection, where cultures portray sex as taboo.

The study would ultimately prove that everyone, no matter the color of their skin, is equal when it comes to the disease of syphilis. The intention behind manipulating the men was not for the greater good of society, but instead was for the greater good of Dr. Brodus and Miss Evers. Although the actions of Dr. Brodus and Miss Evers prove to be unethical, I also find the actions to be unprofessional. Miss Evers should have informed the men of the severity of the disease, as well as how the disease is passed from one individual to another. They failed to inform their patients of many of the risks that came along with the disease.

Last week I obtained knowledge on the history of medicine. Specifically, I learned how African Americans played an essential role in the history of medicine. Prior to last week I was not well-versed in the history of medicine. However, I was knowledgeable on how African Americans slaves were used for medical research. Slaves were the test subjects for various revered doctors at that time.

Based on our past history (e.g., the Tuskegee experiment) it is now crucial to apply confidentiality and informed consent in studies, especially human subjects. Therefore, harm can reduced as much as possible. I feel the past history is a lesson that social scientists should avoid in studies. All human subjects are required to understand the risk factors and procedures in a study they are participating in. If they require confidentiality, researchers should also agree.

This study was referred to as the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis