Brief overview of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study

1. The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
Brenda Blunt & Erika Mullens
College of Nursing and Health Professions, Valparaiso University
NUR 711, Ethical Issues of Advance Practice Nursing
Dr. Christina Cavinder
10/4/2023

2. Tuskegee Syphilis Study
• Initiated in 1932 by the Public Health Service (PHS), the precursor to
the CDC, in collaboration with Tuskegee University
• Enrolled 600 black male impoverished sharecroppers from Macon
County, George
• Purpose was to study the effect of untreated syphilis on the body
• Full title of the study was “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis on
the Negro Male”

3. Tuskegee Syphilis Study
• All the men were tested for syphilis via lumbar puncture
• The men were told these were “spinal injections” and told they were
being treated for “bad blood”
• About 400 tested positive for syphilis
• The subjects were never told they had syphilis
• The subjects received free medical exams and meals in exchange for
participation

4. Tuskegee Syphilis Study
• The subjects did not receive any treatment through the study, even
after penicillin became readily available
• Study participants were intentionally excluded in public health
campaigns, starting in 1947, targeting venereal disease
• Many partners and children were infected
• About 100 of the men died
• The families were provided burial insurance but only if the deceased
were first submitted for autopsy

5. Tuskegee Syphilis Study
• The study lasted from 1932 until 1972
• The study was known in medical circles. It appeared in 15 articles in
reputed medical journals over 37 years, with no published ethical
criticism
• It was finally terminated thanks to PHS whistleblower Peter Buxton,
who had formally raised ethical objections in 1966 and 1968.
• Peter Buxton took his concerns to the Associated Press, and it
became a national news story. Public outrage was immediate.

6. Tuskegee Syphilis Study
• Congressional hearings commenced in 1973, led by Senator Ted Kennedy
• Led to the National Research Act, informed consent procedures,
institutional review boards, and protections for vulnerable populations
• The NAACP filed a class-action law suit in 1973, winning $9 million on
behalf of the study’s participants
• President Bill Clinton issued a formal, public apology in 1997

7. References
Tobin, M.J. (2022). Fiftieth anniversary of uncovering the Tuskegee
syphilis study: The story and timeless lessons. American Journal
of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 205(10), 1145-1158.