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“I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.”  Booker T. Washington
 

"Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male"

What peaked my interest:

On March 15, 2008 I was listening to Fox News and heard and saw an angry, motivated Pastor on a pulpit, yelling about a variety of subjects.  This now "retired Pastor" is, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. He mentioned the "Tuskegee Experiment", and I remember reading about this subject in the 70's,.  We'll never know if this would have caught anyone's attention if it hadn't been for the fact that, Barak Obama, (Democrat running for President in 2008), found the Lord through this man; was married to his wife, Michele by this man; and his little girls were baptized by this man.

Oh boy, I need to get more factual information about this one. I must be prepared to precent an unbiased opinion if the subject should come up.

A little history simply stated:

Imagine what it must have been like to live in the 1930's.  There was no known cure for syphilis and cases of syphilis were on the rise. They didn't have all the information or sophisticated equipment doctors have available to them now. The Tuskegee University was given what they needed from various sources, to study syphilis and the experiments were conducted on it's campus.

There were 600 men who particpated in this study,  399 of the men had syphilis and 201 did not.  The men were primarlily sharecroppers from the poorest counties in Alabama. These men, their wives, and children, had no idea what they were being treated for. They were told they were being treated for "Bad Blood". They didn't realize that the data would be collected during an autopsy after their deaths.  WOW, I wonder if they had known this information if they would have volunteered for this study?

Left untreated syphilis can and may lead to all kinds of complications. Problem was it not only affected the men that volunteered but the syphilis spread to their girlfriends, wives, and sometimes their children. Pregnant mothers that have syphilis may pass it on to their unborn child.

In 1945 Penicillin became the first known treatment for Syphilis, yet these men were not allowed the treatment nor were they told about it.  It was not until 1972 when Jean Heller, a reporter for NPR released an article about this study that the general public became aware of the "Tuskegee Experiment".

My Thoughts:

I am profoundly sorry that this experiment was handled in the way it was.   I was not alive during this time, therefore, I can only imagine the anguish and suffering these men and their families went through.

In closing I urge all of us to stand up for those that can not speak for themselves for whatever the cause may be and I am reminded of the following scripture verse:

Psalm 82 vs: 3 thru 5

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Most of my life I have never thought about myself as a color "WHITE", I have always been more concerned about my character and integrity. In the past few years I have been forced on more than one ocassion to think about color because I have grandchildren that have one white parent and one black parent. This has presented some different experiences for our family and my grandchildren.

Books to Read:

Image of the book "Bad Blood"

Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, Revised Edition

  

Image of book "Tuskegee Experiments"

by James H. Jones  Lucent Library of Black History - The Tuskegee Experiments: Forty Years of Medical Racism

 

Book Cover, Booker T. Washington, Up from Slavery
An Autobiography

 

Book Cover, The Tuskegee Airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen: African-American Pilots of World War II (Journey to Freedom)
by Sarah De Capua

 

There are a lot more books available at Amazon.com or your local library

The only treatments available at the time were:

Many died from lack of treatment and many died from having treatment.

Mercury was used in different ways to treat syphilis, by mouth, rubbing on the skin, and by fumigation.

At times men with high fevers appeared to get over their syphilis so for a period of time men were actually given malaria because it would produce a high fever.  The logic was that the risk was ethical because the malaria then could be treated later with quinine. It was usually withheld until later in the disease and then followed by the arsenic-containing drug Salvarsan and Neo-Salvarsan.

Links:

Just the FACTS:

  • Experiment started in 1932
    • Took place in Macon County, Alabama
    • When it was started there was no known cure for spyhilis
    • Involved a group of 600 black men
  • 1934 first papers about the problems of untreated syphilis
  • 1945 Penicillin was accepted as treatment choice for syphilis
  • 1972 Jean Heller of NPR broke the story about the Tuskegee Experiment
  • 1972 the study was ended
  • 1973 Congress held studies of the issue
  • 1974 A $10 million out-of-court settlement and other promises were made by the government
  • 1975 Wives, widows, and children were added
  • 1995 other benefits were added to the program
  • 1997 President Clinton apologizes on behalf of the Nation

LINKS:

A picture of Booker T. Washington Booker T. Washington

The establishment of a "Negro Normal School in Tuskegee" came about in 1881 by House Bill 165. This event wasn't magic and it didn't happen overnight. 

If it had not been for Lewis Adams, a former slave and George Campbell, a former slave owner, Tuskegee may not have been started. Mr. Adams was able to read and write even though he had no formal education.

Even back then along comes a politican needing something.  W.F. Foster, he was running for re-election to the Alabama Senate and needed help getting the Negro vote in Macon County. Just like the politicans of today he was ready to barter with Mr. Adams, an influencial Black man.  To his surprise Mr. Adams asked for a "school for his people".

They were given a total of $2000.00 to cover teachers salaries only. They were not given land, a structure to use, or equipment. It was started in a one room shanty, the first class had thirty adults, and their teacher was Booker T. Washington.  Believe it or not this was progress, it was a wonderful beginning.

From a very humble beginning, the first Black "Normal" School was founded in 1881 for Black teachers. Dedicated people like Booker T. Washington, Lewis Adams, George Washington Carver, and more over the years, developed Tuskegee University into the fine University it is today. 

This University is also well known for the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black American Fighter Squadron. What incredible men these were, they were men of character that believed in fulfilling their missions.  These dedicated men beat the odds, they stood strong, and they did it with integrity even though there were those that hated them. A great line from the movie, by Lt. Col. Benjamin O. Davis was "We weren't assigned. We were requested."

I am in awe of these men of unbelievable courage and encourage people to remember it is not the color of our skin that is important, it is our character that makes us who we are.

Links Tuskegee University:

Links Tuskegee Airmen:

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum.

Links:

The "Great Depression" had started in 1929, so the general public was worried about getting through everday life. The 1930's were a turbelant time for race relations especially in the southern states.

Book Cover "To Kill A Mockingbird"

Perhaps reading to "To Kill A Mockingbird", is a good way to know about racism in the 1930's. This classic novel was written by Harper Lee and it explores the divisions of race and social class in Alabama.  This book was published in 1960 and has won a Pulitzer Prize and also received an award as the Book of the Century, given by the Library Journal.

Find it at Amazon.com or your local library

Links:

 
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