The Tuskegee Experiment was conducted between the year 1932 and 1972 and intended to study the course of untreated syphilis. It was a federally funded experiment, and none of the African American men with syphilis in Macon County suspected that the medical providers and researchers were withholding the treatment. Instead, they were giving them placebos like mineral supplements and aspirin. The researchers did not accord any effective care even when some men died while others became blind or insane. The researchers and medical providers exploited the African American men because the majority of them were sharecroppers who had not visited doctors before for medical diagnosis. It is depressing that doctors from the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) experimented because they had taken an oath to care for the sick (Katz et al., 2008).
The experiment continued until the mid-1960s when an investigator, Peter Buxton, from the PHS Venereal Disease Department realized it. He expressed concern over the unethical practice of the Tuskegee experiment. He later leaked the story to a reporter friend because PHS officials failed to stop the study because of the dangers posed to the subjects. The reporter later passed the information to a fellow reporter, Jean Heller who broke the story through Associated Press in 1972...
The story prompted public outrage resulting in the shutting down of the study although twenty-eight men had already died from the disease and 100 other from complications related to syphilis. Moreover, nearly 40 men had infected their partners while 19 children contracted the disease at birth. At the end of the experiment, many African American men had lost faith and trust on public health providers.
Risks to Participants
The participants of the experiments risked their lives from various dimensions. For instance, their life expectancy was reduced yet they suffered from a treatable disease. At 45 years, many African American men became unproductive. Moreover, the individuals were exposed to dangerous medical practices that had not been tested before; they acted as guinea pigs for the researchers and medical providers. The health risks escalated for the participants because they had limited resources and knowledge concerning the experiment.
Current Research Protocols Violated
The research protocols violated included that fact that the researchers did not get the consent of their participants. As a result, the participants were not given accurate information concerning the study, their circumstances, and the dangers associated with…
