The Tuskegee Syphilis Study Controversy Essay

Describe the facts surrounding the Tuskegee Syphilis study

The Tuskegee syphilis study is the most controversial research ever performed on the black race. It was carried out in a small town of Tuskegee in Alabama. The participants of the study were completely ignorant of the experiment. The hope of treatment for the participants of the experiment was not in sight. In addition, these people died in their numbers for something they never understood.

The Tuskegee syphilis study was a complete disaster. There was a time when doctors in the United States believed that black American’s resistance to the effects of syphilis was not high when compared to the whites. This theory motivated the racial study of blacks in the United States. With the high rate of syphilis in Alabama, the government felt it was time to use these black folks as a pawn for their medical research.

The government of Alabama decided to conduct medical research on black Negroes who had syphilis. The victims of the Tuskegee syphilis study were told that they were treated on a free term. The study generated ethical questions on public health (Heintzelman, 1997).

There are some notable facts about the Tuskegee syphilis study:

1. The government of the United States of America abused the constitutional rights of the victims of the Tuskegee study.
2. The authorities of the Tuskegee study did not treat the patients who had syphilis.
3. These victims did not give their consent before the study.
4. The objective of the Tuskegee syphilis study was racially motivated.
5. Although the research was a comprehensive one, there were no regulations during the study.
6. There should be proper documentation of the research study and the progress of the study must be published on an annual basis.

Explain why the Tuskegee Syphilis study is considered an important milestone in the history of public health research

The Tuskegee experiment has changed the world in many ways. Research on humans has been re-examined. After the exposure of the Tuskegee study, medical research board raised various ethical questions as it regards the use of humans as research subjects. An ethical code of conduct for health practitioners was formulated and it was called the Nuremberg Code, it consists of 10 fundamental points of research. However, this ethical code did not prevent the doctors that performed an unethical study on the Tuskegee subjects.

One notable milestone achieved was based on the information given to the participants of the experiment. There were suggestions that all participants should have the right to know the reason for the experiment, the risks, and hazards associated with the experiment. Each participant has the right to accept or refuse to be part of the experiment. The use of deceit to lure a participant into a research program was termed unprofessional and unethical. The Tuskegee syphilis study became the pivot for much debate on the rights of human subjects used for experiments. The Nuremberg code of 1947 had loopholes and did not get international acceptance.

Although this code was passed in 1947, it did not stop the doctors in Alabama from performing their atrocities on the black race in Tuskegee (Heintzelman, 1997). The Tuskegee experiment came at a time when the economic situation for the black people in the States was below average. While doctors used the situation to give monetary tokens to the victims of the syphilis study. The major effect of the Tuskegee study was on the black race. After the failed experiment, black Americans are yet to come to terms with their loss. In addition, they oppose any form of treatment that includes vaccination.

Describe the need for ethical guidelines to govern health research

Guidelines are necessary for the success of any research. It is upon this set of rules that any research may be probed for its failures or success. The Nuremberg code of 1947 fell short of medical standards. Article 5 of the Nuremberg code had its own flaws; it states that an experiment can be done on an individual provided the medical investigator is ready to risk his/her life. You cannot take another person’s life because you are ready to lose yours.

For example, if a man is drunk with alcohol, should he be allowed to drive other people to their death, because he is ready to risk his own life? This is a major loophole in the Nuremberg code of 1947. Article 10 stated that the medical investigator might stop the research if he sees any danger. There was no definite rule on when to stop, but a decision that lies solely with the investigator’s willingness to terminate the experiment if he wishes. This is another flaw in the 1947 Nuremberg code. By law, an experimental study on humans should be terminated if it is a risk to the life of the subject.

In order to safeguard the lives of people, health guidelines must be followed. In addition, there is a need for ethical guidelines to govern health research. The storyline in Miss Evers Boys portrayed the loopholes in the ethical guidelines that govern health research. The movie showed to the entire world the rot in the medical research field. The fact that experimental studies are meant for the good of the people, does not entail that lives should be lost in the study. There is no justification for causing the death of an individual used for an experiment.

The case of the Tuskegee syphilis was an example of misguided research. There was no proper documentation for the participants used for the experiment. Those who lost their lives in the experiment were not accounted for, neither were their names complied. The Tuskegee experiment lasted for 40 years and there was not a single journal that was published on the findings of the research.

This is a major setback for any meaningful research. Ethical guidelines limit the use of science to cause harm or take the life of a person. In 1974, the National Investigation Human Board was established and was in response to the Tuskegee syphilis saga. Alongside was the Tuskegee Health Benefit Program, it was set aside to help the victims of the Tuskegee experimental research.

What are the recognizable key Hypothesis that underlined contemporary research impacting the Tuskegee Syphilis study on health research

The hypothesis for any research should not be controversial or made on assumptions. The effect of using assumptions could affect the quality of the study. Unlike contemporary research guidelines, the key to a productive study rests on the tests of the hypothesis. In addition, it must be fruitful, unbiased, and will not be used to take lives. In conclusion, the Tuskegee syphilis study, which was performed in Miss Ever Boys’ film, will not be forgotten by the black community. Moreover, still raises questions about the ethical standards and guidelines used by researchers.

Reference

Heintzelman, C. (1997). The Tuskegee Syphilis Study and Its Implications for the 21st Century.