Tuskegee+Syphilis+Study

Tuskegee Syphilis Study

**General Overview** The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was a clinical study conducted for forty years by the United States Public Health Service in Macon County, Alabama (Jones, 1981, p. 1). The U.S. PHS conducted this study of untreated syphilis from 1932-1972. “The germ that causes syphilis, the stages of the disease’s development, and the complications that can result from untreated syphilis were all known to medical science in 1932, the year the Tuskegee Syphilis Study began.” (Jones, 1981, p. 4) The study was conducted on a substantial number of African Americans, which included 399 infected men and an additional 201 who were free of the disease known as syphilis (Jones, 1981, p.1). The African American male subjects were told they simply had “bad blood” and were not told the complete truth about what they truly were infected with. The doctors and nurses simply did not communicate properly with these men and it resulted in a forty year study done without the men’s knowledge or authorization. Simple and inexpensive incentives were given to the subjects which included free hot meals on exam days, free transportation to the clinic, free health care for minor ailments, and free burial insurance in case of their death (Walker, 2009, p. 1). Even after the discovery of penicillin being a cure for syphilis, the doctors conducting the experiment refused to treat the subjects and went against any sort of ethical boundaries that the medical field had. “In the wake of the U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee and other studies, the federal government took a closer look at research involving human subjects and [|made changes to prevent] the moral breaches that occurred in Tuskegee from happening again” (CDC, 2011). In 1972, when the experiment was put to a halt, 28 of the original 399 men had died directly from syphilis along with 100 more that died from related complications (Walker, 2009, p.1). After the whistle was blown revealing the study details to the public spotlight, several federal laws were created to protect human rights in future medical studies that would involve humans. The United States government was taken to court in a class-action law suit by the participants and their families in the summer of 1973 (CDC, 2011). This court case resulted in the government paying the subjects and their families a ten million dollars out-of-court settlement along with lifetime medical benefits and burial services (CDC, 2011). In 1995, the government expanded these lifetime benefits to include health benefits as well as medical (CDC, 2011). In 1997, President Bill Clinton apologized to the participants and family members on behalf of the nation (CDC, 2011). **Syphilis** Syphilis is a highly contagious disease caused by the Treponema pallidum (CDC, 2011). The disease is a sexually transmitted infection and can be passed from mother to baby during pregnancy (CDC, 2011). Three stages mark the development of the disease: primary, secondary, and tertiary (CDC, 2011). The primary stage lasts from ten to sixty days starting from the time of infection in which the primary legion of syphilis appears at the point of contact (CDC, 2011). When this legion begins to heal, the second stage begins and within six weeks to six months a rash appears signaling the development of secondary syphilis (CDC, 2011). During this period, symptoms such as painful joints, cardiac palpations, fever, indigestion, head-aches, and rash occur (CDC, 2011). The secondary syphilis gives way without treatment in most cases into a stage of dormancy (CDC, 2011). Usually after a latent time period of two or three years, the tertiary stage begins with the appearance of all the previous symptoms again (CDC, 2011). This is when the disease inflicts the great damage. During this stage, tumors of tissue can form and create large ulcers. These tumors attack bone structure, the heart, the central nervous system, and even the brain. These are often fatal symptoms of the disease (CDC, 2011). **Implications of the Study** The legacy of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study has contributed to African Americans belief that genocide is possible and that public health authorities cannot be trusted (Thomas, 1991, p. 2). The study’s failure to educate and treat African Americans properly helped lay the foundation for African American’s pervasive sense of distrust of public health authorities (Thomas, 1991, p. 2). The distrust of heath care officials and providers has created problems when trying to educate the African American community about HIV/AIDS because they think the disease is some sort of genocide against their race (Thomas, 1991, p.2). As the pattern of HIV/AIDS infection shifts and increasing numbers of African Americans are affected, it will be crucial to understand the historical context in which African Americans will interpret the disease (Thomas, 1991, p. 5). Because of this mistrust, African Americans will need to be well educated on the disease and it should be thought of as a disease against society, not just one race. The main concern about this is that will the African American community allow themselves to trust health care providers who are educating them about HIV/AIDS. According to Shavers, the study conducted in 1999 that surveyed 198 residents of Detroit results indicated that 81% of African Americans were aware of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study while 17% of Whites reported they were aware of the study (Shavers, 2002). Along with this, the study indicated that 49% of African Americans and 17% of Whites responded that their knowledge of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study would make them unwilling to be a part of future medical studies (Shavers, 2002). This shows that African Americans show far greater concerns about the legitimacy of general health care studies and practices. According to Shavers, “A reduction in trust as a result of knowledge of the Tuskegee Study more frequently had a negative impact on the future willingness of African Americans to participate in a medical research study” (Shavers, 2002). This could have implications about the kinds of results future studies have about various medical criteria because the sample pool will not accurately relate to the entire population.

**References** Thomas, S. B., & Crouse Quinn, S. (1991). The Tuskegee Syphilis Study, 1932 to 1972: Implications for HIV Education and AIDS Risk Education Programs in the Black Community. //American Journal of Public Health //, 81(11), 1498-1505. Retrieved from EBSCO// host //.

Walker, C. A. (2009, Summer2009). Lest we forget: The Tuskegee Experiment. //Journal of Theory Construction & Testing //. pp. 5-6. Retrieved from EBSCO// host //..

Shavers, V. L., Lynch, C. F., & Burmeister, L. F. (2002). Racial Differences in Factors that Influence the Willingness to Participate in Medical Research Studies. //Annals of Epidemiology //, 12(4), 248. Retrieved from EBSCO// host //.

Jones, James H. (1981) //Bad blood :the Tuskegee syphilis experiment// New York : Free Press. Main Stacks Library at the University of Illinois. Call Number: 364.142J718b.

Center for Disease Control (2011). Syphilis- CDC Fact Sheet. Retrieved from [], []