Tuskegee's Truths - (Studies in Social Medicine) by Susan M Reverby (Paperback)

About the Book

From 1932 to 1972, about 600 African American men in Alabama served as guinea pigs in the Tuskegee syphilis study -- now called one of the worst examples of arrogance, racism, and duplicity in American medical research. This book reveals the history and legacy of the infamous study though a comprehensive collection of articles, letters, newspaper accounts and works of fiction.

Book Synopsis

Between 1932 and 1972, approximately six hundred African American men in Alabama served as unwitting guinea pigs in what is now considered one of the worst examples of arrogance, racism, and duplicity in American medical research - the Tuskegee syphilis study. Told they were being treated for "bad blood," the nearly four hundred men with late-stage syphilis and two hundred disease-free men who served as controls were kept away from appropriate treatment and plied instead with placebos, nursing visits, and the promise of decent burials. Despite the publication of more than a dozen reports in respected medical and public health journals, the study continued for forty years, until extensive media coverage finally brought the experiment to wider public knowledge and forced its end.

This edited volume gathers articles, contemporary newspaper accounts, selections from reports and letters, reconsiderations of the study by many of its principal actors, and works of fiction, drama, and poetry to tell the Tuskegee story as never before. Together, these pieces illuminate the ethical issues at play from a remarkable breadth of perspectives and offer an unparalleled look at how the study has been understood over time.

Review Quotes

"Tuskegee's Truths revisits the infamous Tuskegee study and explores its contemporary meanings and relevance for American society. . . . The book succeeds admirably. Its comprehensive scope makes it an invaluable reference tool. Its sharp focus on race will attract the attention of scholars of race as well as historians and ethicists concerned with racism in medicine and medical research." -- New England Journal of Medicine

"An extremely important addition to the research ethics record, since it gathers articles, contemporary newspaper accounts, interviews with participants, selections from reports and letters, and even poetry and extracts. . . . The mixture of sources, transcripts and styles of writing make this a fascinating read. . . . These documents show all too clearly how the coming together of racism, poverty, chronic disease, deception and intransigence made for seriously bad ethics." -- Bulletin of Medical Ethics

"I thought I had a good grasp of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study before reading Tuskegee's Truths. . . . Reverby's book has humbled me. . . . A short review like this cannot begin to recount the many perspectives included in [this book]." -- Journal of the History of Medicine

"Reverby has done an excellent job of editing the work of numerous contributors to compile the book in a well-organized and readable style." -- CHOICE

"Reverby has taken some of the heavy lifting out of the task of studying Tuskegee. Tuskegee's Truths is a compendium of diverse materials that shed different kinds of light on the notorious research project. . . . A sourcebook for teachers, a useful reference for scholarship, and a welcome addition to the library of other readers who wish to explore the disquieting history of the Tuskegee Study." -- Bulletin of the History of Medicine

"Reverby insures that the person using this book will understand the Tuskegee syphilis study as a contemporary history." -- Journal of American History

"This book comes well recommended to all those involved in the teaching of ethics and the healing arts." -- Journal of Religion and Health

About the Author

Susan M. Reverby is professor of women's studies at Wellesley College. She is author of the prize-winning Ordered to Care: The Dilemma of American Nursing.