The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment was a controversial clinical study conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service from 1932 to 1972, involving 600 poor Black men who were misled into believing they were receiving free health care while being deprived of treatment for syphilis. Despite the discovery of penicillin as an effective cure in the 1940s, participants were not informed of their condition and continued to be denied treatment, leading to significant ethical violations. The study's exposure resulted in major legal reforms regarding informed consent and the protection of human subjects in research.