History In Medical Education And The Roots Of Knowledge

This study was originally meant to examine the natural history of syphilis in those who had later stages of the disease. It was begun in a time before penicillin (introduced in 1943) was identified as an effective treatment and when there was considerable controversy about the efficacy of later-stage intervention. However, the study eventually spanned four decades, during which new treatments became available, and the subjects enrolled were often deliberately kept from receiving treatment. Over time, it became clear that subjects were part of a vulnerable population not adequately protected by the study protocol and from whom true informed consent was not obtained. This troubling and complex story highlights the roles of race and racism in medicine and medical research, and has directly affected the structures we have in place for oversight of medical research today. The routes of disease Syphilis was first mentioned in European literature of the late 15th century. Like many other infectious diseases, it was initially associated with the movements of people; the Columbian hypothesis suggested that when Columbus returned from Hispaniola, his crew brought along the disease--a claim more recently supported by genetic analysis and a study of bone remodeling. The condition also highlights the link between war and disease, since one of the ways it is thought to have spread across Europe was with the dispersal of Charles VIII's mercenary troops after his ill-fated attempt to sta...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news