Examining Tuskegee: The Infamous Syphilis Study and Its Legacy (The John Hope Franklin Series in African American History and Culture)

The forty-year "Tuskegee" Syphilis Study has become the American metaphor for medical racism, government malfeasance, and physician arrogance. The subject of histories, films, rumors, and political slogans, it received an official federal apology from President Bill Clinton in a White House ceremony. Susan M. Reverby offers a comprehensive analysis of the notorious study of untreated syphilis, which took place in and around Tuskegee, Alabama, from the 1930s through the 1970s. The study involved hundreds of African American men, most of whom were told by the doctors from the U.S. Public Health Service that they were being treated, not just watched, for their late-stage syphilis. Reverby examines the study and its aftermath from multiple perspectives to explain what happened and why the study has such power in collective memory. She follows the study's repercussions in facts and fictions. Reverby highlights the many uncertainties that dogged the study during its four decades and explores the newly available medical records. She uncovers the different ways it was understood by the men, their families, and the health care professionals, ultimately revising the conventional wisdom on the study. Writing with rigor and clarity, Reverby illuminates the events and aftermath of the study and sheds light on the complex knot of trust, betrayal, and belief that keeps this study alive in our cultural and political lives. The forty year "Tuskegee" Syphilis Study has become the American metaphor for medical racism, government malfeasance, and physician arrogance. The subject of histories, films, rumors, and political slogans, it received an official federal apology from President Bill Clinton in a White House ceremony. The author offers an analysis of the notorious study of untreated syphilis, which took place in and around Tuskegee, Alabama, from the 1930s through the 1970s. The study involved hundreds of African American men, most of whom were told by doctors from the U.S. Public Health Service that they were being treated, not just watched, for their late stage syphilis. She examines the study and its aftermath from multiple perspectives to explain what happened and why the study has such power in our collective memory. She follows the study's repercussions in facts and fictions. She highlights the many uncertainties that dogged the study during its four decades and explores the newly available medical records. She uncovers the different ways it was understood by the men, their families, and health care professionals, ultimately revising conventional wisdom on the study. This work illuminates the events and aftermath of the study and sheds light on the complex knot of trust, betrayal, and belief that keeps this study alive in our cultural and political lives. University of North Carolina Press Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 INTRODUCTION: Race, Medical Uncertainty, and American Culture 18 PART I. TESTIMONY 28 1 HISTORICAL CONTINGENCIES: Tuskegee Institute, the Public Health Service, and Syphilis 30 2 PLANNED, PLOTTED, & OFFICIAL: The Study Begins 46 3 ALMOST UNDONE: The Study Continues 73 4 WHAT MAKES IT STOP? 90 5 TESTIMONY: The Public Story in the 1970s 103 PART II. TESTIFYING 138 6 WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MEN & THEIR FAMILIES? 140 7 WHY & WHEREFORE: The Public Health Service Doctors 164 8 TRIAGE & “POWERFUL SYMPATHIZING”: Eugene H. Dibble Jr. 181 9 THE BEST CARE: Eunice Verdell Rivers Laurie 196 PART III. TRAVELING 214 10 BIOETHICS, HISTORY, & THE STUDY AS GOSPEL 216 11 THE COURT OF IMAGINATION 233 12 THE POLITICAL SPECTACLE OF BLAME & APOLOGY 245 EPILOGUE: The Difficulties of Treating Racism with “Tuskegee” 256 APPENDIX A: Chronology 270 APPENDIX B: Key Participants’ Names 278 APPENDIX C: Men’s Names 280 APPENDIX D: Tables and Charts 286 Notes 292 Bibliography 362 Index 394 A 394 B 397 C 398 D 399 E 399 F 399 G 400 H 400 I 401 J 401 K 401 L 401 M 402 N 403 O 404 P 404 Q 405 R 405 S 406 T 408 U 409 V 412 W 413 X 413 Y 413 A section of illustrations 126 ISBN-13:,9780807833100 The forty-year Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which took place in and around Tuskegee, Alabama, from the 1930s through the 1970s, has become a profound metaphor for medical racism, government malfeasance, and physician arrogance. Susan M. Reverby's Examining Tuskegee is a comprehensive analysis of the notorious study of untreated syphilis among African American men, who were told by U.S. Public Health Service doctors that they were being treated, not just watched, for their late-stage syphilis. With rigorous clarity, Reverby investigates the study and its aftermath from multiple perspectives and illuminates the reasons for its continued power and resonance in our collective memory.

The forty-year Tuskegee Syphilis Study has become the great metaphor for medical racism, government malfeasance, and physician arrogance. Reverby offers a comprehensive analysis of the notorious study of untreated syphilis, which took place in and around Tuskegee, Alabama, from the 1930s through the 1970s and involved hundreds of African American men, most of whom were told by doctors from the U.S. Public Health Service that they were being treated, not just watched, for their late-stage syphilis. Reverby examines the study and its aftermath from multiple perspectives to explain what happened and why the study has such power in our collective memory.

Historical contingencies : Tuskegee Institute, the Public Health Service, and syphilis Planned, plotted, and official : the study begins Almost undone : the study continues What makes it stop? Testimony : the public story in the 1970s What happened to the men and their families? Why and wherefore : the Public Health Service doctors Triage and "powerful sympathizing" : Eugene H. Dibble, Jr The best care : Eunice Verdell Rivers Laurie Bioethics, history, and the study as gospel The court of imagination The political spectacle of blame and apology Epilogue : the difficulties of treating racism with "Tuskegee".