Bad Blood, Bad Science

Distillations | Science History Institute

The word “Tuskegee” has come to symbolize the Black community’s mistrust of the medical establishment. It has become American lore. However, most people don’t know what actually happened in Macon County, Alabama, from 1932 to 1972. This episode unravels the myths of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Syphilis Study (the correct name of the study) through conversations with descendants and historians.

Credits

Hosts: Alexis Pedrick and Elisabeth Berry Drago Senior Producer: Mariel Carr Producer: Rigoberto Hernandez Associate Producer: Padmini Raghunath Audio Engineer: Jonathan Pfeffer

“Innate Theme” composed by Jonathan Pfeffer. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Resource List

Black Journal; 301; The Tuskegee Study: A Human Experiment

Descendants of men from horrifying Tuskegee study want to calm virus vaccine fears, by David Montgomery

Examining Tuskegee: The infamous Syphilis Study and Its Legacy

Nova: The Deadly Deception

Susceptible to Kindness: Miss Evers’ Boys and the Tuskegee Syphis Study

Tuskegee Legacy Stories

Under the Shadow of Tuskegee: African Americans and Health Care, by Vanessa Northington Gamble

Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation