For 20 points extra credit, you will need to learn about syphilis from your text book (Chapter 21, pages 672 – 676) and read the article below about the Tuskegee Study. You can download a copy here. It is not necessary to fully understand the models and statistics in the latter half of the paper.
Alsan, M., & Wanamaker, M. (2018). TUSKEGEE AND THE HEALTH OF BLACK MEN. The quarterly journal of economics, 133(1), 407–455. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30505005/ (Links to an external site.)
You may also find the prospective in this video helpful.
In your post, provide thoughtful answers to the following questions:
What is the causative agent of syphilis? What are the signs and symptoms of the various stages of syphilis? How is syphilis treated?
What occurred during the Tuskegee Study? What are your thoughts on the ethics of the study?
How much of the information you learned about syphilis in your textbook do you think was acquired as part of the Tuskegee Study?
Alsan and Wanamaker (2018) reported differences in health outcomes between racial groups and attributed these differences to the Tuskegee study. What empirical data did they use to identify these differences? Did they establish that these differences are a direct effect of Tuskegee study? Do you think that the reported differences in health outcomes are a result of the Tuskegee Study?
The relationship between the medical mistrust associated with the Tuskegee Study and the medical mistrust during the COVID-19 pandemic has been debated in the media. What are your thoughts on this comparison?
