Case study

Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment Case Study Question

1. Carefully analyze this case. When you examine the paper and the appendix, what

information appears to have been gained from this study? That is, what kind of argument can be

made for the benefits of the study?

2. What do you believe were the motives for the people to become involved in the study,

specifically: The subjects? The PHS personnel? The Tuskegee staff? The Macon County

physicians? Nurse Rivers? What do you think best explains Nurse Rivers' role in the study?

3. What kind of criticisms can you offer of this study?

4. What were the factors underlying the cessation of the project?

5. Did a genuine scientific question exist at the start of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study? Why

are there still defenders of the science of the study?

6. Was racism the primary cause of the ethical failures of the Tuskegee Study, or was

(classism) the primary cause?

7. Is there a relationship between the Tuskegee Study and the Guatemala study? How

should we think about the two studies, together or separately?

8. Could another Tuskegee Study happen today?