Thread by @RosenelliEM

I usually do a #ChatRecap of the @CPSolvers #VMR episodes.

This past Friday was #Juneteenth and we had 2 special guests. @gradydoctor and her wonderful Father Mr. William (Tony) Draper.

And not to my surprise, there was no chatter. We just listened!

We learned about the holiday celebrating the day when all remaining enslaved Black Americas were freed in Texas, on June 19th, 1865, with this hour-long storytelling event.

There was something notable that Mr. Draper was wearing and I thought I would give a #tweetorial on it.

He was wearing a Tuskegee hat and shirt. Although I had heard about it in the past, I didn't know much about it to the detail that I felt comfortable with.

I wanted to share some notable things that I found.

In 1932, the Public Health Service, working with the Tuskegee Institute, began a study to record the natural history of syphilis in hopes of justifying treatment programs for blacks.

It was called the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male.”

The study initially involved 600 black men –

399 with syphilis, 201 who did not have the disease.

The study was conducted WITHOUT the benefit of patients’ informed consent.

They were told they had "Bad Blood"

In exchange for taking part in the study, they received free medical exams, free meals, & burial insurance.

Although originally projected to last 6 months, the study actually last >40 yrs

Even in the last 1940s when we knew the cure for syphillis was PCN, they were not given it

In July 1972, an AP story about the Tuskegee Study caused a public outcry

They found no evidence that researchers had informed them of the study or its real purpose.

In fact, the men had been misled and had not been given all the facts required to provide informed consent.

The Tuskegee Study was “ethically unjustified” & thankfully a month later, the Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs announced the end of the Tuskegee Study.

In 1973, a class-action lawsuit was filed & a $10 million out-of-court settlement was reached

The last study participant died in January 2004.

The last widow receiving THBP benefits died in January 2009.

There are 11 offspring currently receiving medical and health benefits. cdc.gov/tuskegee/timel…

Some other things I found was that this study became a symbol of their mistreatment by the medical establishment, a metaphor for deceit, conspiracy, malpractice, and neglect, if not outright genocide. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

Since the disclosure of the study in 1972, it correlated w/ increases in medical mistrust & mortality & decreases in both outpatient/inpatient physician interactions for older black men.

The life expectancy at 45 for black men fell by up to 1.5 yrs in response to the disclosure

...accounting for approximately 35% of the 1980 life expectancy gap b/t black & white men & 25% of the gap b/t black men & women.

This just added to the problem as life expectancy for black men at age 45 is 3 yrs < than for their white male peers & 5 years < than for black women

This study was identified as to the cause of the relationship between medical mistrust and racial disparities in health-related behaviors and health outcomes

Mistrust is more likely to discourage preventive and non-emergency medical care

The Tuskegee Study was one of the most egregious examples of medical exploitation in U.S. history.

The reductions in healthcare utilization have paralleled a significant increase in the probability that older black men died before the age of 75.

Please read this paper, it is phenomenal. It is impossible to summarize. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

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