Ethically Impossible STD Research. I think this is referencing experiments in Latin America, similar to but considerably worse than the Tuskegee syphilis experiments. In the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, the antecedent to the CDC (forget its name) did an experiment where they withheld treatment for syphilis to a large group of infected African Americans in Alabama. Although the popular view that the us government infected them, in fact the individuals were already infected. What happened was individuals were withheld treatment so that scientists could observe the progression of syphilis over long periods of time. It sounds horrible, but this was originating in the 1920-1930s, before penicillin, when treatments for bacterial infections were basically non existent. still, this was at best dubious, but it became criminal when penicillin was discovered and yet the experiment continued -- until 1970. For something like 35 years, these individuals were withheld penicillin. It was horrific, but its just worth noting that when it originated, the government to my understanding did not actually infect anyone with syphilis. But the creepy thing was that the chief scientist in the study early on left to Latin America where there he DID infect people with syphilis and withheld treatment from them for decades too. I think but am not sure that this report is about this latter event.
Posted on: Sun, 11 May 2014 23:18:13 +0000
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