The Tuskegee Syphilis Study: Medical Research versus Human Rights

Abstract

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study of the Untreated Male Negro has become a landmark in medical history. Since the existence of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study became public knowledge in the 1970s it has been widely regarded as one of the most blatant examples of medical racism. Knowledge of the experiments is widespread throughout minority. The study has been blamed for low African American participation in medical research by creating distrust of the medical community. Because the study was funded by the Public Health Service (PHS) it has also created a climate of distrust of the government by poor and minority populations across the United States.