WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government apologized to Guatemala Friday for a study 60 years ago in which American scientists deliberately infected prisoners in that country with syphilis.
The 1946 experiment was unearthed by a Wellesley College medical historian. It apparently was conducted to test the effectiveness of penicillin, which was relatively new then, in treating sexually transmitted diseases.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said they were, in their words, “outraged that such reprehensible research could could have occurred under the guise of public health.”
Strict regulations today would prohibit such medical research. U.S. officials are beginning two investigations to uncover exactly what happened and make sure today’s rules are adequate.
