Lest we forget.

On Dec 18 in 1972, the Tuskegee syphilis experiment was terminated.

Today we remember the 623 African-American men who took part in "The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male".
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For 40 years - 1932 to 1972 - the impoverished and poorly educated men were never told they had syphilis and were never treated for it, even when penicillin became a standard cure in 1947. They were simply told they had ‘bad blood’.

For participating in the study, the men received free rides to and from the clinic at Tuskegee University, Alabama. There they were given hot meals and free medical treatment for minor ailments. Any treatments they thought they were also getting for their ‘bad blood’ were actually placebos, aspirin or mineral supplements.

When the study ended in 1972 following a public outcry, only 74 of the original participants were still alive. Twenty-eight men had died of the disease and a further hundred or so of related complications. Forty wives had been infected and 19 children had been born with congenital syphilis.

In the summer of 1973, a class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of the study participants and their families. In 1974, a $9 million out-of-court settlement was reached. As part of the settlement, the U.S. government promised to give lifetime medical benefits and burial services to all living participants.

In 1975, wives, widows and offspring were added to the program. In 1995, the program was expanded to include health as well as medical benefits. Ernest Hendon, who died in 2004 at 96 was the last living survivor. The last widow receiving THBP benefits died in January 2009. There are 15 offspring currently receiving medical and health benefits.

Ernest Hendon, who died in 2004 at 96, was the last living survivor of the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study.