A colleague has alerted me to a remarkable on-line essay. The subject is the infamous Tuskegee study of untreated syphilis in Black men in Alabama, carried out between 1932 and 1972. My knowledge of this study is limited, but I'm aware, along with most people, that it's considered one of the most shameful episodes in American scientific history.
Some believe that the subjects of the study were deliberately infected with syphilis, which is untrue. Yet even that scientists would stand by and allow the untreated progress of a dread disease in poor, uneducated members of a minority group solely to obtain information about its effects bears comparison with the atrocities committed by the Nazis. Consequently, "Tuskegee" today is a synonym for grieviously misguided science and racism, and is often invoked as a reason why we must have institutional review boards to safeguard against such perversions of science. Indeed, on May 16, 1997, President Clinton issued a formal apology to the surviving participants of the study on behalf of the United States Government.(see http://www.med.virginia.edu/hslibrary/historical/apology/whouse.html) Why talk about Tuskegee and this particular essay on TIPS? Well, aside from the fact that I've always appreciated that this list has a refreshing tolerance for important topics even if marginally related to the teaching of psychology, it does have relevance. It concerns experimental design, racism in science, and the ethics of experimentation. The essay itself brilliantly illustrates one of the themes that comes up repeatedly in our discussions: the need for critical evaluation of received wisdom, no matter how well-accepted. This essay does challenge received wisdom regarding the Tuskegee study. What its author, Richard Shweder, calls a "counter-narrative" has three main themes: a) that a concerned, ethically-responsible, fully-informed researcher back in the 1930s may well have judged the Tuskegee study to be ethically acceptable and free of racism b) that the study may not have caused harm to those who participated in it c) that we must be cautious in using our present-day standards to judge the decisions of the past and on that basis to condemn them These conclusions may seem outrageous to those who have heard of the study and who may suspect that the essay is an apology for racism. But it's no blogger's rant. It's a careful examination of what is known about Tuskegee in a balanced, impartial manner free of preconceived notions. Richard A. Shweder is a respected academic, a "cultural anthropologist" at the University of Chicago (see http://humdev.uchicago.edu/shweder.html); the essay originated in an invited address to the _Philosophy of Education Meetings_; he thanks other recognized scholars; and he specifically recommends the reader consult another scholar who is a critic of his "counter-analysis". He also references his essay. Enough from me. The essay's at http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/0000000CA34A.htm It's long but well worth reading, a persuasive, radically different interpretation of an event whose significance I thought was settled long ago. His view deserves to be better known and debated. Stephen ________________________________________________ Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Dept web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy TIPS discussion list for psychology teachers at http://faculty.frostburg.edu/psyc/southerly/tips/index.htm _______________________________________________ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: archive@jab.org To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
