Tuskegee experiments echoed by Guatemalan Sexually Transmitted Disease experiments

The American government used individuals as guinea pigs in a series of tests in Guatemala. An apology was issued to the Guatemalan people. The studies echo the infamous Tuskegee experiments, where African American males were infected with the very same sexually transmitted disease. The Tuskegee experiments were conducted over 40 years. Both experiments share one John C. Cutler, who supervised the two year trial in Guatemala, and a number of years of analysis at Tuskegee.

Guatemalan study required to be approved first

Now it seems sexually transmitted diseases are treated diverse. This is in comparison to the early 20th century. Now, an infected person can pick up a prescription within hours. MSNBC reports that an analysis on syphilis was done by the Guatemalan government, the Pan American Health Sanitary Institute, the National Institute of Health and the United States of America Public Health Service, in 1946 before it was legal to use penicillin. Dr. John Cutler was put in charge of the study. There were 696 test subjects, including male prisoners and female prostitutes. Numerous were told to try and get the disease. Injection was used on some of the others. There weren’t even a third of the subjects treated for the disease. The study concluded in 1948.

The experiments for the Tuskegee syphilis

The Tuskegee Experiments are a dark chapter in American history. African Americans from the South were observed with the disease between 1932 and 1972. From Alabama there were 399 male subjects. The United States of America Public Health Service was responsible for the exploration. A difference could be seen. We just have to take a look at it. Tuskegee patients were already infected with syphilis, whereas the Guatemalan STD patients were not. Treatments weren’t given to two thirds of the Guatemalan patients. This is one more difference. Penicillin treatment wasn’t given to many. The Tuskegee patients did not get it at all. Penicillin was the treatment used after 1947 hit. The experiment ran until 1972.

Apology should be produced

It is impossible to say that the human experimentation can just be excused. Cable News Network reports that the Guatemalan people got a special apology that originated from President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Health and Human Services Director Kathleen Sibelius. That is something like a start.

Articles cited

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/39456324/ns/health-sexual_health

CNN

cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/10/01/us.guatemala.apology/index.html?hpt=T1

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_syphilis_experiment