RachelBotbyl

StudySheetforSept14:TuskegeeSyphilisStudy

1. Iamaworkingwithateamobservingtheeffectsofuntreatedsyphilisonthehumanbody.It
beganasanaturalobservationstudy,inwhichweobservedthehealthofpatientswhotypically
wouldnotbetreatedanywayduetosocioeconomicstatus.However,itisunclearwhetherthis
trulyfallsintothecategoryofanaturalobservationintermsofethicalityandnecessity.Firstand
foremost,recentscientificdiscoveryhasputforthafunctioningandincreasinglyavailable
treatmentoptioninpenicillin,howeversubjectsofthestudycontinuetosufferandprogressin
theirillnesses.Wearewatchingthesemenfallvictimtothelongtermsymptomssuchas
damagetotheeyes,liver,bone,heart,andbrain,allwhileotherpeoplehavebeencuredofthe
disease.Whenthestudybegantheonlytreatmentoptionwasunreliable,butthisisnolonger
thecase.Thisraisesaquestionofwhetheritisrightorwrongtosimplyobservewhen
interventionisinfactpossible.Additionally,itisquestionablewhetherornottheobservations
ofthisexperimentarenecessaryorbeneficialtotheadvancementofthemedicalfield.
Observingthecourseofdiseaseoffersnonewtreatmentoptionsorothersuchtherapeutic
approaches,soitisdifficulttosaythatitwillreallybenefitanyoneinanyway.Participantsare
saidtobebenefittingfromfreetransportation,medication,andcloseobservationoftheir
condition,butthisisnottobeconsideredalargegainwhenthepossibilityfortreatmentexists.

2. Theresearchersinthisstudyseemedtimeandtimeagaintocomeupwithnewjustificationsfor
whattheyweredoing.Itisarguedthatitmaynothaveseemedwrongtobeobservingpeople
whowouldnthavereceivedtreatmentotherwise,butthisseeminglyharmlessjustification
slowlyledtoworsesituations.Iamremindedimmediatelyofthefootindoorphenomenonin
socialpsychologyinwhichtheopportunityforclearlyunjustactionspresentsitselfthroughthe
progressionsmallseeminglyjustifiablesteps.Onemomentapersonisdoingsomethingthat
didntseemsobad,andthenexttheyareunknowinglyperformingandbecomingdesensitized
tolessacceptablethings.Thereisalsoacertaindegreeofdriveintheresearchfieldtodo
somethingunique.Asaresearchscientist,Iamconstantlystrivingtodiscoversomethingthatno
hasseenbefore.Perhapsthisscientificvisionobscuredtheirviewoftheseresearchsubjects
asrealhumanbeings,assupportedbythefactthatmanyphysiciansfavoredinterventionwhile
researchersdidnot.Onethingthathasbecomeincreasinglyrelevantinmystudiesislearningto
humanizesubjectsthatmayhavethetendencytobelookedatfromascientificperspectiveby
membersofanacademiccommunity.Forexample,aclassonabnormalpsychologymaypresent
itselfasanobjectivestudyofthesymptomsandtreatmentsofpsychologicaldisorders,butin
thisscenarioonemayforgettoputitinthecontextofthehumancondition.Thepeoplethatare
studiedinsuchscenariosareparents,children,lovedones,andfriends.Scienceandmedicine
oftenrequireacertaindegreeofimpersonalinteraction,butthereisaclearriskinthisgoingtoo
farwiththis.

 3. Inaccordancewiththepointabove,itisimportanttonotefactorsthatmayfacilitate
desensitizationanddepersonalization.Inthe20thcenturyDeepSouth,therewasstillaclear
racialdivide.Asamatteroffact,thereasonthatthisstudywasoriginallyjustifiedwasthatthe
blackmeninvolvedwouldnothavebeenabletoreceivetreatmentanywayasaresultoftheir
lowsocioeconomicstatus.Fromthis,itisreasonabletoconsiderthattheresearchersmayhave
viewedthesubjectsasfundamentallydifferentfromthemselvesinsomeway.Whetherthey
wouldhaveattributedtheoutcomeofthisstudytoraceisdoubtful,butitwascertainlya
contributingfactor.Perhapsitcouldbeconsideredacaseofindirectdiscrimination,inwhich
theseblacksubjectsweretreatedunfairlynotbecauseofinstitutionalprejudicebythe
researchers,butasaconsequenceofdiscriminationtheyfacedelsewhere.Inotherwords,the
governmentalandsocietalinstitutionsthatcausedthesementobepoorandunabletoreceive
propercareledthemtobeinapositionwheretreatmentwasntavailable,whichledtothe
initialjustificationforthisstudy.

4. Oneprinciplethatwasviolatedwasthatwhichnoundueharmshouldbedonetoanymanfor
thepotentialbenefitofothersorthescientificfieldingeneral.Thisoccurredinnotattempting
totreattheresearchsubjects.Inthepursuitofstudyingandcuringdisease,itisoftenpresumed
thataresearcherorphysicianwilldoeverythingtheycantograntapatientgoodhealth.
Denyingatreatmentthatisavailableisbothunnecessaryandcruel.Thismayhaveoccurreddue
totheresearcherslosingsightinthebigpicture,whichisthattheirpurposeistoadvance
medicalknowledgeinordertomakepeoplehealthy.Knowingtheprogressionofsyphiliswould
havedonenothingtocureit,andthedrivefornewfactsobscuredthissimplemaingoal.The
expectationofinformedconsentwasalsodisregardedinthiscase,asresearcherswithheld
informationaboutthesubjectsactualdiagnosis,itsimplications,andthepotentialfor
treatment.Giventhenatureofthisstudy,preventionofwithholdinginformationbymodern
ethicalguidelineswouldhavepreventedthisstudyfromcontinuing,especiallywhenjustification
diminishedtoclaimssuchasthatthesubjectspriorsufferingwouldbeinvainofthestudy
haltedbeforecompletion.