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Tuskegee syphilis study: Failing to treat black men for 40 years From 1932 to 1972, the US Public Health Service conducted a study on syphilis in Macon County, Alabama, involving 600 black male participants — 400 with syphilis and 200 without. The purpose was to observe the natural progression of the disease, but participants were not informed of their diagnosis and were denied treatment, even after penicillin became the standard cure in the 1940s. The study continued for decades without meaningful oversight. It was ultimately exposed by AP reporter Jean Heller in 1972, leading to public outcry, congressional hearings, and a $10 million settlement for the victims and their families. While the study itself is well-documented, the full extent of its harm — including how many family members may have contracted syphilis — remains unknown. Source: Geopolitics Prime
