- Published: December 15, 2021
- Updated: December 15, 2021
- University / College: University of Strathclyde
- Level: Intermediate School
- Language: English
- Downloads: 35
Reading Response of Do Not Harm and Informed Consent A concise summary of the main point(s) and methods of the reading.
The US Public Health Service (USPHS) conducted syphilis study on the black population of Macon County in Alabama by using x-ray and spinal tap. The whole experiment according to the research by Brandt (1978) was unveiled as unethical and racist. The black male subjects were deceived about being provided with medication for the syphilis in order to accept to be subjected to the research and this was based on the racist notion of the blacks being illiterate and primitive and would not unveil the deception. Furthermore, there were denied any real medication and they ended up dying of the disease.
2. A brief response to the article. (1 paragraph) Here you might comment on something
you found interesting or that you learned from the reading. You might also comment on how this reading will influence or inform your research project or how it connects to some aspect of your personal experience.
This research article is an insight to the refusal of most blacks to participate in researches because they predict their intellectual ability is being put to test and hence become reluctant. I now understand it is not their fault because apparently that was not the only research with racism tendencies in it and even the government through its organizations aw nothing wrong with these researches and did nothing to discourage them. This will make me approach my research subjects with caution and avoid deceiving them or if necessary, debrief them afterwards.
3. A description of any questions about the reading or something you would like discussed in class. (1 paragraph
The research was clearly an initiative of the public health service an organ of the government which is above all supposed to provide good health to the public. What I would like discussed is whether it is right and appropriate for the government to be on the forefront of encouraging such researches which are not only based on deception and racism but also encourage the aversion of human rights while it is supposed to be the custodian of them?
Work Cited
- Brandt, Allan. “ Racism and research: The case of the Tuskegee Syphilis study.” The Hastings Center Report 8(6): 21-29, 1978.
