On Friday, the United States government apologized for experiments conducted in Guatemala in the 1940s, reminiscent of the Tuskegee study beginning in the
1930s, in which hundreds of African American men with late-stage syphilis were observed, but not treated for the disease.
Nearly 400 impoverished men were recruited for the study, which took place in Tuskegee, Alabama and lasted until 1972. The men were told they were being treated for having bad blood and were enticed into participating with free medical examinations, free meals, and free burial insurance. Even after penicillin was found to be a cure for the syphilis in the 1940s, researchers failed to treat the Tuskegee participants with the drug.
In the Guatemalan fiasco, U.S. scientists infected prostitutes with syphilis or gonorrhea, who were then told to have unprotected sex with prison inmates and soldiers, later testing them in order to find possible cures.
According to the , Wellesley College Professor Susan M. Reverby found evidence of the secret Guatemalan tests when she was examining papers regarding the Tuskegee study.
“I was very shocked when I saw all of this,” said Reverby, who noted she discovered the study after finding letters and reports in archives held at the University of Pittsburgh.
According to the U.S. government, about 1500 Guatemalans were infected with the sexually transmitted diseases from 1946 to 1948. None of those studied were given information about what was taking place or gave their consent for the experiment.
During the study, when few test subjects became infected with the STDs, scientists used mental patients as test subjects, rubbing the infection on their genitals.
“They would hold a guy’s penis for an hour to an hour and a half to make sure it got in there,” said Reverby. “It was pretty gruesome.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a joint statement:
“Although these events occurred more than 64 years ago, we are outraged that such reprehensible research could have occurred under the guise of public health.”
“We deeply regret that it happened, and we apologize to all the individuals who were affected by such abhorrent research practices.”
Reports indicate that Clinton telephoned Guatemalan president Alvaro Colom to apologize.
President Colom expressed his anger and outrage at the study saying “These should be considered crimes against humanity and Guatemala reserves the right to petition the relevant international court at an opportune time.”
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