In my research methods in psychology class here at OSU, we talked about the topic of ethics in scientific research. The main example that my professor wanted to talk about was the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment that took place from 1932 to 1972. The so-called experiment looked at the long-lasting effects of syphilis if it went untreated in a group of 600 Black men from Alabama. The population of Black men was poor, purposefully targeted, and not given treatment for syphilis when a cure was found. I later did more research, looking at the effects of the study on the Black community and their relations with healthcare in the United States. Especially right now with the wide distribution of the COVID-vaccine, I found direct articles, like this one, from the CDC about how minority populations are more hesitant to get the vaccine. Healthcare is a topic that seems to have everyone’s attention. From lack of it, the cost, and even if it should be a universal right. Though, more than who is receiving healthcare, the principle to think more about is how the healthcare system is targeted toward certain groups and is often scary or out of reach for others.
Black Americans are much more hesitant to reach out for medical assistance due to a history of unethical, unjust, and racist practices that continue even into our modern era. According to a poll done by the NPR, they found that one in five African-Americans will abstain from seeking medical care due to worries about discrimination (Stein, 2017). This can be seen as not taking health symptoms seriously, presumptive biases about the African-American body, and more.
Nurse collecting blood for the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. HistoryCollection.com. Newsweek—African and American Men Receiving “Special Free Treatment” from Physicians and Nurses. From Wiki Commons.
This discrimination seen is a part of a long history that goes back to the idea presented by Ahmad of third-worlding. False medical studies, which have since been debunked, that circulated in the United States and much of the world at the beginning of the 19th century stated that Black people didn’t feel/perceive pain the same way that white people did. These thoughts were perpetuated off of ideas of power that Ahmad defines in the roots of capitalism and modes of production. White people defined the existence of Black citizens based off of, as Ahmad states, “those who make history and those who are mere objects of it” (Ahmad, 78).
In turn, the long, prejudiced history of inadequate medical treatment in the Black community is due to ideas built off of capitalistic power. Since Black Americans’ heritage has come from Africa, seen as a third-world to the United States, it has affected the thoughts and feelings of healthcare today and how minorities receive treatment. Marcella Alsan and Marianne Wanamaker noted in their study, “Tuskegee and the health of Black men,” that, “individuals are more responsive to injustices perpetrated against their own group and more empathetic to individuals in closer ‘proximity’ to themselves” (Alsan 2019).
These deep-rooted notions of the third-world still being present in our systems of healthcare today have manifested into more extreme problems. The CDC found that life expectancy for the Black population was 72 years, which was the lowest it has been since 2001 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2021) and is significantly lower than the life expectancy of someone who is white. Our system meant to protect and help the wellbeing of everyone is, somehow, not doing it equally for each person.
Works Cited
Ahmad, Aijaz. “Jameson’s Rhetoric of Otherness and the ‘National Allegory.’” Social Text, no. 17, Duke University Press, 1987, pp. 3–25, https://doi.org/10.2307/466475.
Alsan, Marcella, and Marianne Wanamaker. “TUSKEGEE AND THE HEALTH OF BLACK MEN.” The quarterly journal of economics vol. 133,1 (2018): 407-455. doi:10.1093/qje/qjx029
Stein, Rob. “Troubling History in Medical Research Still Fresh for Black Americans.” National Public Radio, National Public Radio, 25 Oct. 2017, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/10/25/556673640/scientists-work-to-overcome-legacy-of-tuskegee-study-henrietta-lacks.
I remember hearing about the Tuskegee Experiment in my psychology class as well. It is so sad to think that 1 out of 5 Black people feel that they can not reach out for medical help due to the threat of discrimination. I think you brought up some really great data that was really eye-opening and surprising. I especially agree that the health systems should be protecting the well-being of all individuals. Overall, you brought up a lot of insightful history some of which I did not know before. Thank you for sharing!
I did not know about the Tuskegee Experiment before reading your post so I am glad I got to have some better insight. The data you stated shocked me because I knew there were some African American’s that I am friends with are often unsure of whether or not to get medical treatment because they fear that they will be discriminated against. So, after reading your post and finding out that one in five African Americans that feel as though they cannot get medical attention due to discrimination has really opened my eyes. Your post has helped me get a better background on the long history of medical discrimination as well as why this discrimination may exist. Thank you for the new information!