2/7: The study involved 600 African-American men, 399 with syphilis and 201 who did not have the disease. Participants were misled about the purpose of the study and were not informed that they had syphilis or that the disease was potentially fatal.
Discussion
3/7: Despite the availability of effective treatment by penicillin in 1947, the researchers did not offer it to the subjects. This withholding of life-saving treatment is a gross violation of medical ethics and the Hippocratic Oath to “do no harm”.