The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

Introduction

In 1932 an event occurred that is the worst example of crossing all ethical limits. A series of deaths among the African-Americans caused due to ignorance and proper medical facilities were not provided to save the lives of thousands of African-American citizens. According to a survey of American Public Health Service 30% of the syphilis was preventable among the African-Americans. The report will further discuss by the help of researches that how this incident has violated the ethical codes and principles in the American book of law. The incident was a source immense learning for the nurses and all the people related to providing medical services and enable them to make sure that a similar kind of incident is not repeated again.

Discussion

Tuskegee is a town in Alabama that had a high rate of African-American population. A research study was carried by American Health Public service that took into consideration the people who were not given treatment for having the diseases of syphilis. The research found the doctors, nurses and medical institutions did not made any efforts to save the people suffering this disease and were not given treatment on the basis that no medicines were available for such a disease. The research study gave its conclusions that leaving the syphilis people untreated is the violation of basic moral principles and is a resultant of bad science. The study emphasized on the ethical violations that were conducted by leaving the people die instead of giving them best possible medical services. The study further defined the ethical disregards that took place by not only doctors but by the whole healthcare service providing people and institutions.

The biggest ethical dilemma was that motivation of the doctors was very less towards the treatment of people suffering from syphilis. Doctors ...