Background Information: The study for this discussion was performed during the e
ID: 89678 • Letter: B
Question
Background Information: The study for this discussion was performed during the early part of the last century and involved several hundred African American males who had syphilis. Participants were not notified that they were actually part of the study and were not given treatment for syphilis, which was available during the study.
This study is a good example of how research on human subjects should not be conducted. Unfortunately, this study was fundamentally unethical in its execution and was not set up according to the scientific method. However, a discussion on this study is an excellent opportunity for students to learn how to apply the scientific method to a real- life situation.
Instructions: Go to the CDC website and review the history of the study: http://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/
Answer one of the following questions:
1)How could a better knowledge of biology have possibly protected the participants?
2)Explain how a study of this kind could have been properly designed using the five basic steps of thescientific method.
3)Was there a hypothesis that scientists were trying to answer? If so, what was it?
Explanation / Answer
1) Tuskegee study was conducted from 1932 to 1972 among poor American black men aged 25 years and above to learn more about syphilis and justify treatment programs. Adequate treatment was withheld from the men who had syphilis causing needless pain and suffering. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum which can cause serious health problems if left untreated. In the mid-1940s, antibiotic penicillin was found to be a safe and effective cure for syphilis. The researchers at Tuskgee withheld this antibiotic from the syphilitic study participants deliberately. If the study participants were treated with penicillin, they could have been possibly protected.
2) The five basic steps of the scientific method are,
By following these basic steps of the scientific method, a study can be properly designed without causing harm to the study participants. Tuskegee study could have been conducted by different study design. For example in crossover study design, the two groups will receive treatment alternatively with the experimental drug and the gold standard treatment. By comparing the results, we can determine the effectiveness of new experimental treatment with the goldstanard treatment.
3) The researchers of Tuskegee study wanted to learn more about the natural progression of syphilis. They did not tested any hypothesis.
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