Tuskegee Syphilis Study

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study is still recognized today as one of the most notorious cases of prolonged and knowing violation of human subjects, according to a report titled “Why African Americans May Not Be Participating in Clinical Trials.” The study used mostly poor, illiterate Blacks who were infected with syphilis. “The study was designed to document the natural history of syphilis,” the report states. One of the main ethical issues, though there were many with this study, was the fact that participants were not given penicillin once it emerged as a standard treatment for syphilis in the 1930s nor were they made aware that there were effective treatment options for the disease.