-á-á-áOnly decades ago, doctors believed blacks and whites were genetically different, Terri Young said Wednesday at the Teachers College.
-á-á-á"They didn't realize that we were all people," Young said.
-á-á-áTerri Young, Black Student Association director of social activities, facilitated Wednesday's Black History 101 class titled "Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Project." It was the second of three classes organized this February to celebrate Black History Month.
The purpose of each class is to highlight milestones in black history and to discuss current issues in the multicultural community, Young said.
-á-á-á"The classes are very informative and educational," Young said. "They let us know about topics we don't always hear about."
Young's class Thursday focused on the history of the 1932 Tuskegee Experiment, in which the U.S. Public Health Service used 399 black males from Macon County, Ala. as guinea pigs in a syphilis study. The purpose of the study was to discover how syphilis, a venereal disease spread through sexual intercourse, affected blacks as opposed to whites, Young said.
The subjects, who were in the late stages of syphilis, were told they would be receiving free medical care to be treated for their "bad blood." But their doctors never had any intention to cure them, Young said.
While white government officials ran the experiment, several predominately black institutes such as the Tuskegee Institute also participated in the experiment by providing the Pubic Health Service with medical facilities for the study.
Young said while the Tuskegee Experiment was planned to last six months, it continued for 40 years before Jean Heller of the Associated Press finally broke the story in the Washington Star on July 25, 1972. By the end of the experiment, 128 of the men had died directly from syphilis or related complications.
After a national advisory panel reviewed the study and determined it was unethically justified, the government ended its experiment and finally provided its survivors with medical treatment for syphilis, Young said.
On May 16, 1997, President Bill Clinton issued an official apology to the survivors of the Tuskegee Experiment.
Young said she was glad to be able to share the history of the syphilis study to fellow Ball State students Wednesday.
People need to understand the historical racial divisions that existed in both in the social and the scientific arenas, Young said.
"The experiment just shows the ignorance of the medical professionals of the 1930s," Young said. "We often don't realize how much damage (the study) caused and how many people died."
Young said she first became interested in the Tuskegee Experiment after she learned about it last semester in her health science class.
She said when she first heard about it, she was disappointed that she had never been taught about it before.
"I should have learned about the study a long time ago," Young said.
Senior LaNette Sims said learning about the Tuskegee Experiment helped her to not only understand the struggles blacks experienced in the early 20th century, but to appreciate the ethical medical standards that are upheld in today's society.
Much progress has been made within the past seven decades, she said.
"It's good to know how far medical research has come," Sims said.
Young said she appreciated the students who attended Black History 101 Wednesday and hopes students will attend the final class, which will be held Feb. 25. The class will question whether blacks in today's society still need reparations for past discrimination.
Young said she encourages students of all races to continue supporting Black History Month events and multiculturalism on Ball State's campus.
"We should all step outside of our comfort zones and educate ourselves about other people," Young said. "It's always good to open your eyes to something new."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
