“Bad Blood”- Tuskegee Experiments
Please read the following case study by clicking on the link above. You will need to “Download Case” as a pdf for viewing.  It is related to our class discussion on research methods, and includes an important dimension related to race and health research ethics.
YOUR MISSION (if you chose to accept): At its end you will see 5 questions. Please respond below to ONE question of your choice using the comments feature below. This will be considered extra credit and will go towards to your course grade.
Racial bias and mirror neurons
Parental home ownership and susceptability to repiratory illness
The happiness experiment is very intriguing. The person I most admire and look up to is/was my mother. Sadly I cannot read her a letter face to face but I can read it to her spirit. I will also be more conscious of sharing my gratitude on a daily basis.
Julie
I loved this experiment specially for those who are far away from you. For me my mother has been the most influential person in my life. Though I can’t replace what she had done for me as a parent. In my opinion, this is a great way to tell someone you can’t express to specially if you live far. In my case I live with my mother and I let her know that she’s one of the most important person in my life who had made me who I’m now. There are many ways to let special people know for example celebrating their birthday or mother’s day with little surprises will not only make them happy but also you.
Bad Blood:
A Case Study of the Tuskegee Syphilis Project
1. What kind of criticisms can you offer of this study?
In my point of view the 40 year study was controversial for the reasons related to ethical standards. The researchers knowingly failed to treat patients appropriately after the approval of penicillin in 1940. This type of medication was considered effective to cure the disease they were studying yet they decided not to give it to the patients. I think that what they did was inhuman, that no one deserve to be mistreated specially when they ill. This information is shocking but it’s also informative to our new generation. This study failed and it had a horrible outcome, now it can be used as example to prove that is not appropriate to test or do any extreme science study on humans.
3) What kind of criticisms can you offer of this study?
According to my perspective towards this case study, I certainly do not feel they have accurately come up with the conclusions as to whether the syphilis affected the African American men differently than that of men of European descent. Back in the days in 1930, African American found themselves isolated in society even though they were use to living in the same society. To me this study deemed inaccurate since only the African Americans were facing that was used in their experiments. On the other hand, the European men had access to medicinal use because European men were more susceptible to undergo instant treatment because of having a wealth advantage; unlike African American who mostly have never seen the doctor and kept getting prolonged effects of the disease. In my opinion, the mistreatment comes to “race” in terms of differences in education, health care, and socio-economic status. In conclusion, doctors were more interested in collecting the data rather than being convinced about the patient health.
Bad Blood:
A Case Study of the Tuskegee Syphilis Project
3. What kind of criticisms can you off er of this study?
In my perspective, this study was racist. Because this study chose only poor African American Male, To make this study equal they should have included male from all nations and from different family income, not just focus on the poor.
Also they were unfair by choosing only African American Males because they never went to the doctors, a question that i want to as is, just because they never seen a doctor, does that mean African Americans are unhealthier than other people?
Another thing I really disliked about this experiment was that, The scientists did not inform and give enough information to the subjects of the experiment. As in what types of drugs will be given to them and how they will be treated. The scientist should have been more straight forward and provided information to the people being experimented on. Also keep good well ordered result of the experiment, on the results numbers of people were dead, others were cured and the rest were UNKNOWN, how can the scientists not know what happened to the people they were experimenting on?!
5. Could this project (or one similar to it involving AIDS or radiation effects) be conducted today?
A project like this wouldn’t be able to happen now. It’ll certainly be consider racist and unethical. Nowadays, we have achieved a high level of ethical and moral principles that would make it impossible for any study of this similar magnitude to come into practice. No one will agree to a study that deteriorates ones health as well as lose their life just for the experiments. Also, there have been rules and regulation made which can be protecting the patient. In today society, before doing the treatment of any patient; doctors must get patients consent then do the treatment. If doctors don’t follow the rules he or she also can be fired from their designated job.
Bad Blood
Question 5
I do not believe that a study like this would be a good idea to do today. For one it is not ethical. They could study people you already have aids to see how it affects the body as we already know that it is not the virus that necessarily kills a person but since the virus attacks the T cells and then a person living with the virus is the susceptible to all kinds of infection because the body can no longer fight to protect itself. it is not right to hold someones medication from them and there is no moral in going around infecting people to see or learn how something affects a particular race. If a person participates in a study then they should know the whole truth of what they signed up for.
The factors underlying the cessation of this project are that men in the Tuskegee study were not considered as patients. They were viewed as experimental subjects and were not provided with antibiotic treatment. Tuskegee study was “bad science” because it had been contaminated by treatment. Also, the article stated that in February of 1969, the PHS called together a blue ribbon panel to discuss the Tuskegee study. The participants were physicians but none of them had training in medical ethics which in my opinion they should be having. Not the least, neither the syphilitics nor the controls groups were informed of the study’s true objective. These men knew only that they were receiving treatment for “bad blood” and money for burial.
I have chosen, the fist video about the happiness. One of the things that the conductor said that I have experimented in my life and I’m totally agree with him, it’s about gratitude. It’s 100% true that when you show gratitude to people and you are happy even in the bad experience you tend to receive the same gratitude that you show to other. But there is one thing to do or to believe to continue in the same volume of happiness, is never expect nothing from people in return, and wherever you have done for them do it because you love to do it, not in the hope that they will do it to you again. Additionally, about the person you admired or you love is my mother, because she has been in the good and bad at my side, and she have taught me a lifetime in my life. I love her so much.
I believe that gratitude is a powerful gesture that makes a difference whether we say thank you to someone holding the door or receive a thank you from giving up our seat to someone else. These are examples that I encountered daily, the gesture of gratitude makes me happy. There are many ways to show your appreciation, it can be verbally or physically. The person that I admire and appreciate the most is my mother, she’s the type of person that lends a hand to anyone expecting nothing in return. My mother has been there for me in good and bad moments and for that I will be always grateful.
Thank you all for your extra credit submissions (including the Wellness fair). The extra points have been calculated into your final grade. Have a great summer!