Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment Ethical Dilemmas

Ethical Quiz Over the years there have been many breakthroughs in medical science. These findings have help use grow through history fighting new diseases to help the people of the world. But some studies were done out of pure hatred and misunderstanding. Some researchers abused power and ruined the lives of their participants. In 1932 the U.S. public Health service launched the the most horrific non-therapeutic experiment in medical history.The physicians of the experiment promised medical treatment to over four hundred African Americans in Macon county , Alabama.The Tuskegee Syphilis experiment was a disaster from the beginning. The doctors' idea of this experiment was theorized by their racism. They had assumptions that African Americans
This introduced one of the first ethical implications in this experiment which was withholding information to gain consent.The USPHS conducted a screening in search of infected participants. After they had chosen the few hundred men to be apart of the experiments they began to moved forward with the study. The doctors lured these men into the study by saying that they were ill and had "bad blood".It was never explained to them why they were really being chosen for this treatment. In order to ensure the interest of the blacks, they began performing noneffective treatments on them such as giving the mercurial ointment. Also, they even used African American health care workers to mislead patients into compliance. These men endured much pain and were enrolled in various treatments without their consent.The second ethical implication was the withholding of treatment. This was the worst charge that the researchers had committed. Even in (year) when penicillin had become the primary treatment for syphilis, this information was also withheld and men were prevented from getting treatment. Though Alabama passed a law in 1927 requiring the reporting and treatment of diseases, the USPHS failed to do so when it came to tending to these