The Oslo Study of Untreated Syphilis and Guatemala Syphilis Experiment

The Oslo study of untreated syphilis is the Scandinavian study that was a precursor to the Tuskegee experiment. The Oslo study of untreated syphilis was done in Norway. The study intended to learn the natural history of syphilis when it goes untreated. The study lasted for twenty years, between 1891 and 1910. Participants were hospitalized as a way of protecting the community from infection until there were no signs of the disease. The study revealed the outcome of syphilis when untreated. The study has been the basis of prognostic statements about syphilis for about a quarter a century. The study had 2,000 participants. 473 of the participants were not given treatment. The participants that were not given medication were then tracked to study how untreated syphilis progressed in them. The Oslo study of untreated syphilis ultimate goal was to provide information about the natural progress (course) of syphilis with regard to as many indices as the material could allow (Gjestland, 1955).

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Boeck-Bruusgaard was the principal investigator of the Oslo study of untreated syphilis. Over 2,000 participants took part in the study. Out of the 2,000 participants, 1527 received treatment by Salvarsan whereas 473 participants did not receive treatment. All the participants were Caucasians. The participants had primary and secondary syphilis. It was established that mortality in males due to syphilis was twice that of females. Syphilis was the second most common cause of death in males and the fifth most common cause of death in females among the participants who were not treated. It was established that about 65% of syphilis patients went through life with minimal inconvenience despite having not received treatment. 23.6% of patients experienced clinical secondary collapse five years after being discharged from hospital. Mild late syphilis occurred in 14% of males and 17% of females and it was observed during the first year of the patients discharge and last observed in the sixth year of the patients discharge. 14% of males and 8% of females exhibited cardiovascular syphilis. No case of cardiovascular syphilis was observed in individuals who were infected by syphilis before the age of 15. There was development of neurosyphilis in individuals who were infected with syphilis before 15 years of age but there was no development of neurosyphilis in individuals who were infected with syphilis after 40 years of age (Gjestland, 1955).

The Oslo study of untreated syphilis was different from the Tuskegee experiment. The Oslo study was a retrospective study whereas the Tuskegee study was a prospective study. In the Oslo study, Caucasian participants were used whereas in the Tuskegee experiment, African- American participants were used. The Oslo study purposed to provide information about the natural progress of syphilis, the original Tuskegee experiment on the other side intended to study pathological changes that are associated with syphilis. The Oslo study had 2,000 participants whereas the Tuskegee experiment had 600 participants. The Oslo study lasted for twenty years between 1891 and 1910 whereas the Tuskegee experiment lasted for forty years, between 1932 and 1972.

In the Oslo study, at the end of the study all participants received treatment for syphilis; 1527 participants received earlier and the remaining 473 participants received treatment later, at the end of the study. On the other hand, in the Tuskegee study, none of the participants received treatment for syphilis. Results of the Oslo study were published whereas results of the Tuskegee experiment were concealed.

Guatemala syphilis experiment

Guatemala syphilis experiment is the Central American study that had roots in the Tuskegee experiment. The Guatemala syphilis experiment was conducted by the United States Public Health Service on vulnerable populations in Guatemala. The vulnerable population included prostitutes, soldiers, patients of mental hospitals and prisoners. The vulnerable population was deliberately infected with syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections without their consent. The study took place between 1946 and 1948. Participants of the study were not told that a syphilis study was being done on them and they did not provide consent for the study to be done on them. It was established that one person died during the experiments and 84 participants died after the experiments came to a sudden halt (Reverby, 2011).

The study aimed to look for new ways in which Sexually Transmitted Infections could be prevented. The objective of the study was to identify new ways in which sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis and gonorrhea could be treated. The first experiments of Guatemala syphilis experiment involved infecting prostitutes with a sexual transmitted disease then allowing the prostitute to have unprotected sex with prisoners, soldiers or patients of mental hospitals. In later experiments, direct inoculations of sexual transmitted infections causative agents were applied directly to the study participants. Dr. John Cutler was the principal investigator of the Guatemala syphilis experiment. Dr. Joseph Moore was the chairman of the Syphilis Study Section, a committee that reviewed and approved the proposal for the research in Guatemala. The study came to a sudden halt and no results about the study were revealed to the public. The Guatemalan syphilis experiment was significant to the Tuskegee experiment because it investigated syphilis but from a therapeutic perspective. Participants infected with syphilis were assessed on how the disease could be treated using different drugs. The study involved 1500 participants. The participants were prostitutes, prisoners, soldiers and patients of mental hospitals. The Guatemalan syphilis experiment ended after rumors started spreading in the medical circles about its existent. Given that the experiment was conducted in breach of biomedical ethics, the investigators were afraid of dire consequences if what they were doing was discovered (Lynch, 2012).

Guatemala syphilis experiment had 1500 participants whereas the Tuskegee experiment had 600 participants. The purpose of the Guatemala syphilis experiment was to identify new ways in which sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis and gonorrhea could be treated whereas the Tuskegee experiment purpose was to monitor progress and development of syphilis in African- Americans. Guatemala syphilis experiment took place between 1946 and 1948 whereas the Tuskegee experiment took place between 1932 and 1972.

President Obama played a role in the Guatemala syphilis experiment by apologizing to the Guatemalan people on behalf of the United States for the role the United States government played in the Central American experiment. Obama said that the United States was committed to ensuring that biomedical research abides to ethical principles and guidelines. "We deeply regret that it happened, and we apologize to all the individuals who were affected by such abhorrent research practices. The conduct exhibited during the study does not represent the values of the United States, or our commitment to human dignity and great respect for the people of Guatemala" (Tanne, 2010).

Comparison between the Oslo study of untreated syphilis, the Guatemala syphilis experiment and the original Tuskegee study

The Oslo study of untreated syphilis was meant to provide information about the natural progress (course) of syphilis. The Central American study was meant to evaluate new therapies for treatment of sexually transmitted infections. The original Tuskegee study on the other side was meant to conduct an epidemiological study on pathology associated with philosophy.

The Oslo study of untreated syphilis lasted for 20 years, between 1891 and 1910. The Central American study took two years, between 1946 and 1948. The original Tuskegee study took 6 months in 1932.

The Oslo study of untreated syphilis involved Caucasian participants. The Central American study involved vulnerable Guatemalan people; the participants were prostitutes, prisoners, mental patients, soldiers and orphans. The original Tuskegee study involved African- American participants.

The Oslo study of untreated syphilis results suggested that mortality due to syphilis is twice likely to happen in males than in females. The Central American study did not produce significant results because it was terminated before it achieved its goal. The original Tuskegee study achieved its goal of observing the observation of pathology associated with syphilis. No follow up care was provided for the participants of the Central American study.

The final Tuskegee experiment

The original Tuskegee study changed its purpose during the depression resulting into the final Tuskegee experiment. The original Tuskegee project was meant to last for six months and its objective was to study pathological changes associated with syphilis. There was a strong belief among the scientific community during that time that race plays a role in determining the effect that syphilis has on a person. The original Tuskegee was founded by Taliaferro Clark. The initial goal of the original Tuskegee experiment was to observe progression of syphilis for a maximum of nine months and finishing up with providing treatment to the infected individuals. After realizing that some of his fellow study members intended to use unorthodox means so that the study may be prolonged, Dr. Clark became uncomfortable with the idea. Dr. Clark left the study before it commenced (Curran, 1973).

The final Tuskegee study was pioneered by Dr. Raymond H. Vonderlehr. Dr. Raymond H. Vonderlehr was the principal investigator of the Tuskegee study. Dr. John R. Heller succeeded Dr. Vonderlehr after the latter retired as the director of the venereal section of the Public Health Service in 1943. Dr. Heller was the head of the Tuskegee project between 1943 and 1948. Dr. Oliver C. Wenger was involved in the Tuskegee experiment. Wenger and his colleagues took a lead in developing study methodologies that were used during the study.

The study commenced in 1932. The study was conducted by the United States Public Health Service. The study took placed in Alabamas Macon County. The study was conducted at the Tuskegee Institute, presently known as the Tuskegee University. The study lasted for forty years between 1932 and 1972. The participants were not informed about the real purpose of the study. As a matter of fact, the men were misled and deceived into participating into the study. Despite the fact that penicillin was discovered in 1940 and found to be effective in treating Syphilis, the drug was not given to participants who had the disease (Gray, 1998).

The participants were also barred from exiting the study by being denied medication for syphilis that became available in the course of the study. The study was ethically unjustified to continue. The risks associated with the study were higher than the knowledge gained by the study. The risk was death whereas the benefits were of little consequence given that a treatment for the disease had already been discovered. The study was done without informed consent from the participants. The participants who had syphilis were not told about their condition, they were kept in the dark by the investigators.

The study was designed to investigate natural progress of syphilis in African American males. The study commenced at a time when there was no known treatment of syphilis. All participants were African Americans. Most of the participants were poor and illiterate. Most of the participants were sharecroppers. Farming was the economic backbone of Macon County and share croppers were very important in ensuring that the Countys economy thrived. There were originally 600 participants,...