The United States has presented a public apology Friday for an experiment in the 1940s in Guatemala by federal physicians who deliberately infected with syphilis prisoners, women and the mentally ill .
The purpose of the experiment was to test the efficacy of penicillin, which is just beginning to be used. Prostitutes were involved in research to transmit the disease to prisoners. Tests were also conducted in insane asylums and barracks. "The study of inoculation of this sexually transmitted disease conducted from 1946 to 1948 in Guatemala was clearly unethical" declare Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State, and Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health. "Although these events have occurred there over 64 years, we are outraged that research misconduct have also been conducted on behalf of public health. We deeply regret what happened and we apologize to present all those who have been affected by such hateful practices ", they added.
The experiment was conducted by Dr. John Cutler, of the Federal Health Service (PHS), through a program funded by the PHS, the National Institute of Health, the Pan American health issues and the Guatemalan government. Its existence was unveiled this year by Susan Reverby, who teaches at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. It is estimated that 696 men and women were exposed to the disease before receiving penicillin. "The study continued until 1948 and records suggest that despite the intentions, it is likely that not all have been healed" , says in a statement. Its findings will be published in January in the Journal of Policy History. It refers to the case of Tuskegee, another notorious medical experiment conducted in the 1960s on American blacks as doctors were exposed to syphilis without treatment and which was also attended by Dr. Cutler, who died in 2003. At this stage, it is unclear whether a compensation procedure for victims of Guatemala will be launched. It is not clear that the guinea pigs can be found, said Arturo Valenzuela, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.
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