A number of discussions about the ethical appropriateness of the Tuskegee experiment have been already discussed. Some researchers offer to support meaningful discussions and create platforms with the help of which the essence of the experiment is clarified (Miranda & Sanchez, 2014). Some authors do not pay attention to the facts and rely on personal understanding and attitude to the issue. There are also the discussions which confuse the reader and require new explanations and research. For example, in the discussion developed by Navnoor, there is an opinion that, in case the mechanism of the interactions between a human organism and a cure, as well as the reasons for a disease, remain to be unknown, it turns out to be unethical, or partly unethical, to make attempts and treat such patients. The ethical aspect of such thought is hard to define. It is possible to offer different approaches and explanations. Still, one particular thought has to be underlined: ethics and nursing are two crucial aspects of a human life that could lead to a number of doubts and misunderstandings. Therefore, it is not necessary to find out which perspective is correct, but to clarify why both opinions may co-exist.
Each time a nurse or a doctor attempts to help a person, there is a risk that a mistake could be made. On the one hand, very often, medical workers have to make fast decisions and spend not much time on investigating and clarifying the reasons for health problems. However, they try to achieve their goals and meet the expectations of patients, who believe that medical workers help to relieve pain and avoid serious complications. Even if medical workers do not know what makes a person sick, they try to treat them and offer different diagnoses. At the same time, they do not check their suggestions but rely on their past experiences and knowledge. They make guesses while treating people. Such approach has to be defined as unethical. On the other hand, in most cases, the help offered by medical workers to the patients, whose symptoms and conditions are not identified, may be effective. Doctors and nurses rely on their intuition and save millions of human lives. In other words, people address medical workers for help, and they get the required portion of help. This is what medical workers should do. Therefore, it is wrong to believe that their actions could be unethical. The idea that treatment of unknown symptoms and diseases may be partly unethical occurs.
Taking into consideration such examples and explanations, it is possible to say that Navnoor’s opinion that “there is no completely ethical way to treat people from unknown conditions” has a point. Medical workers can make mistakes and cause human sufferings, health complications, and even deaths in some cases. However, without such interventions, the lives of many people could be put under threat. Nurses and doctors are educated to make fast decisions to help their patients. Ordinary people and philosophers have a right to consider such possibility as an unethical threat. But they should also ask themselves if they want such unethical decision to be made in regards to them in a case of emergency. Even the most professional thinkers and philosophers cannot be sure of their answers. Therefore, the question of unethical aspects of treating people without knowing what makes them sick cannot be closed and forgotten but discussed each time a new situation and new conditions are observed.
Reference
Miranda Jr, D., & Sanchez, D. J. (2014). The Tuskegee experiment: An introduction in ethics for pre-healthcare professional students. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 15(2), 232.