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Susan Reverby Examines the Tuskeegee Syphilis Study
On April 2, Susan Reverby, PhD, Marion Butler McLean Professor in the History of Ideas and Professor of Women’s Studies at Wellesley College, presented research from her book Rethinking the Tuskeegee Syphilis Study: History and the Creating of Memory at the second annual Isadora I. Benrubi lecture in the History and Ethics of Public Health. Dr. Reverby provided the audience with a comprehensive overview of the operations of the clinical study.
The Tuskeegee experiment, established as part of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS), observed African American men to track the progression of untreated syphilis. Dr. Reverby explained details about the study, which took place between 1932 and 1972, by relaying the stories of individuals involved.
Like most participants, Herman Shaw was approached by Nurse Eunice Rivers, a field worker who traveled through Macon County, Alabama, offering “free treatment for a man who tested positive for ‘bad blood.’” In the 1940s, sometime after Mr. Shaw joined the study as a control subject, he showed up at a rapid testing and treatment center in Birmingham. According to Mr. Shaw’s testimony, he was pulled out of line and sent home without treatment. But, in 1945, he tested positive for syphilis. Eventually, in the 1950s, he received the live-saving penicillin treatment.
Dr. Reverby stated that there are many unknowns to Mr. Shaw’s story, as well as the stories of other individuals associated with the study. As a historian, dedicated to understanding the past within context, she questions the motivations of participants and researchers alike. For example, how did Mr. Shaw get to Birmingham? Who sent him and why was he denied treatment?
“The most frequent story told about the study criticizes the researchers and points to a seamless racist web—the assumption was made that the men were kept from penicillin,” said Dr. Reverby. Said Dr. Reverby, “This explanation, as well as others, are part of a constantly shifting reality.” Stressing the role of context in understanding the story of the Tuskeegee Study, Dr. Reverby stated that narratives in each era are from of a shared memory that is continuously transforming.
Dr. Reverby is committed to telling the stories and relaying the details outline by survivors and in testimonials. To this end, she was a key member of the Legacy Committee, a group that successfully lobbied President Clinton to offer a federal apology in 1997.
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