The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was a controversial medical research project conducted in the U.S. from 1932 to 1972, where hundreds of African American men in Alabama, mostly impoverished and uneducated, were misled about their health. Researchers studied the progression of untreated syphilis without informing the participants they were infected or providing proper treatment, even after penicillin became a standard cure. The study aimed to understand the disease, but it raised serious ethical concerns about racism, exploitation, and informed consent, ultimately leading to changes in U.S. laws and ethical standards in medical research.