Effects Of The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment Of 1932

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The concept of power is analogous to the deceptive appearance of a rose. Although people are allured to the blossom due its silky petals and crimson color, much like they are attracted to power because of the opportunities it withholds, the blossom also contains thorns, representative of the corruption one can create by abusing their powers. Consequently, it is no surprise that those who hold great power often become corrupt because they utilize their powers for their own selfish desires. There is a great responsibility that is attributed to possessing power, and those who fail to use their influence with good intentions tend to fall victim to their own selfish needs. Meanwhile, powerlessness is far less corruptive than power. Although those …show more content…

In this experiment, researchers took advantage of the lack of medical knowledge that existed within the public. In particular, the Public Health Service conducted the experiment on 600 African American men in order to record the natural history of syphilis. Although the researchers told the men that they were being treated for “bad blood”, which is a term encompassing several illnesses including syphilis, fatigue, and anemia, they did not receive the proper treatment needed to cure their ailments. Men were inclined to participate in the experiment because they received free meals, free medical exams, and burial insurance in turn. However, despite the men consenting to the experiment, there is no proof that verifies that the men were properly informed about the study and its purpose. In fact, the men were not provided enough information to properly consent to the experiment. Even when the cure for syphilis was discovered in 1947, researchers did not offer the medication to their subjects. Consequently, researchers abused their powers by recruiting test subjects that were unaware of the real purpose of their study. In this scenario, the medical knowledge of the researchers gave them power and an unjust advantage over their ignorant subjects. Researchers proved their corruption when this study, originally projected to last only 6 months, lasted instead for 40

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