Discuss how the Tuskegee Study started out and the intent of the research (3 points).

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The Tuskegee Study was an unethical medical experiment conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) from 1932 to 1972. The study started out as an attempt to document the natural history of untreated syphilis in African American men in Macon County, Alabama. The researchers recruited 600 men, 399 of whom had latent syphilis, while 201 were used as a control group.

The intent of the research was to observe the progression of the disease in these men over time, without providing them with any treatment, even when effective treatments like penicillin became available in the 1940s. The researchers wanted to determine the long-term effects of untreated syphilis on the human body, including damage to the nervous system, heart, and other organs.

Three key points about the Tuskegee Study are:

1. The study was conducted without the informed consent of the participants. The men were not told that they had syphilis or that they were being used as research subjects. They were also not given the option of receiving treatment, even when it became available.
2. The study was designed to last only six months, but it continued for 40 years, even after the PHS recognized the benefits of penicillin in treating syphilis. The researchers continued to observe the men without treatment, even as many of them suffered serious health consequences and died from the disease.
3. The study was racially motivated, as it was conducted on African American men, and the researchers wanted to determine if there were racial differences in the progression of syphilis. The study perpetuated racist stereotypes about the supposed inherent inferiority of African Americans and demonstrated a lack of regard for the health and well-being of the study participants.