Historical Issues in Human Research: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

by | Oct 16, 2023 | pyschology

Scenario
You have just been hired as a Research Assistant for a hospital where you will be working with a team that conducts human research. As a part of your training, you are expected to refresh your understanding of historical issues in human research and how they relate to current research practices. Your supervisor has asked you to create a PowerPoint to demonstrate your understanding of historical issues in human research based. Your presentation will be based on one of the following articles:

•    Tuskegee Syphilis Study
•    Mackey-Kallis, S. (2019). Tuskegee experiment. Salem Press Encyclopedia.
•    Henrietta Lacks
•    Gabbay, F. H. (2012). An American woman and the right to health. Psychiatry: Interpersonal & Biological Processes, 75(2), 113–119.
•    Nazi Medical Experiments
•    Naming the victims of Nazi medicine. (2017). The Lancet, 389(10085), 2182-2183.
•    Thalidomide
•    Thomas, K. (2020, Mar 24). Thalidomide’s legacy: [Correction]. New York Times

Instructions
Create a PowerPoint presentation that examines historical issues in human research and how this relates to current research practices. Select one of the articles listed above on the following historical research projects: Tuskegee Syphilis Study, Henrietta Lacks, Nazi Medical Experiments, or Thalidomide Trials.

The presentation should address the following:

•    Define ethics in human research and identify how ethics are presented in the article.
•    Explain the background and hypothesis of the historical research project.
•    Explain the role of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and note examples of protections for research participants. If there was no IRB, explain how having one could have helped ensure ethical standards were maintained.
•    Using current principles outlined by the IRB that govern human research, identify the principles that were violated. Provide an explanation regarding the violations and how these violations would have been avoided using current research practices.
•    The presentation should be visually appealing with colors, graphics, and key words.
•    Use the notes section below each slide to write the details of what would be said during a live presentation. This allows you to show your understanding and critical thinking skills to the instructor.

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Sample Answer

Sample Answer

 

Historical Issues in Human Research: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
Slide 1: Introduction
Title: Historical Issues in Human Research: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
Background image: An image related to medical research or ethics
Slide 2: Ethics in Human Research
Definition of ethics in human research: The moral principles and guidelines that govern the conduct of research involving human subjects.
Explanation of how ethics are presented in the article:
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was conducted without informed consent, where participants were not properly informed about the nature and purpose of the study.
Participants were deceived and misled about receiving treatment for syphilis, leading to significant harm and suffering.
Slide 3: Background and Hypothesis of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study
Background of the study:
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service from 1932 to 1972.
The study aimed to observe the natural progression of untreated syphilis in African American men.
Hypothesis of the study:
The researchers hypothesized that untreated syphilis would follow a specific course and provide valuable insights into the disease.
Slide 4: Role of the Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Definition of the Institutional Review Board (IRB): An independent committee responsible for reviewing and approving research involving human subjects to ensure ethical standards are met.
Examples of protections for research participants:
Informed consent: Participants must be fully informed about the study’s purpose, procedures, risks, and benefits before giving their consent.
Privacy and confidentiality: Measures must be in place to protect participants’ privacy and confidentiality of their personal information.
Monitoring and oversight: Regular monitoring of the study ensures participant safety and adherence to ethical guidelines.
Slide 5: Lack of an IRB in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study
Explanation of the absence of an IRB in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study:
At the time, there were no formal regulations or oversight mechanisms like IRBs to ensure ethical standards in research.
The lack of an IRB allowed unethical practices to persist unchallenged.
Slide 6: Violations of Current IRB Principles
Identification of principles violated in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study:
Informed consent: Participants were not accurately informed about the study’s purpose and were deprived of treatment.
Beneficence: The study caused significant harm to participants by withholding treatment.
Respect for persons: Participants were deceived and not treated as autonomous individuals.
Slide 7: Avoiding Violations with Current Research Practices
Explanation of how violations would have been avoided using current research practices:
Informed consent process: Participants would have been fully informed about the study, including its purpose, risks, and benefits, and given the opportunity to provide voluntary consent.
Ethical oversight by an IRB: The presence of an IRB would have ensured that the study adhered to ethical guidelines and protected participant rights.
Regular monitoring and review: Ongoing monitoring of the study would have identified any ethical issues and facilitated necessary actions to protect participants.
Slide 8: Conclusion
Summary of key points discussed throughout the presentation.
Emphasis on the importance of ethical considerations and the role of IRBs in ensuring participant safety and rights.
Closing remarks or call-to-action related to ethical conduct in human research.

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