Homework
What is the Nuremberg Code and what are the important parts of the code? How can this code protect research participants?
The Nuremberg Code are a list of ethical principles for research that is conducted on humans. The Codes came as a result of the trials of the Nazi doctors that performed experimentation on prisoners in concentration camps during WWII. The trials took place in Nuremberg Germany and were held by the United States. Dr. Leo Alexander submitted a list of 6 defining terms for legitimate medical experiments and research. They were adopted by the Counsel for War along with four more. The most important points of the Nuremberg Code are (1) participation in medical research must be voluntary, the participants must be informed of all aspects of the research and they must be of the legal capacity to give consent (2) the experiments must be conducted as not to cause unnecessary mental, or physical harm. Experiments are not supposed to be conducted if there is a risk of death or the person being permanently disabled (3) The participant is able to withdraw from the experiment at any point they no longer feel comfortable participation. In the same vein the staff can also put an end to any experiments that they feel are unethical.
2. Explain how each of the 3 principles of the Belmont Report applies to Epidemiology research?
The three principles of the Belmont Report and how the apply to Epidemiology are (1) Respect for the person. It is necessary to both protect the autonomy of the person as well as to treat them with respect and courtesy by not being deceptive and providing them with information so they can give informed consent (2) Beneficence which is the idea of “Doing no harm” while at the same time gaining the maximum benefit from the research and minimizing the risk to the subject (3) Justice, which is the assurance that the testing will be completed in a that is fair and non-exploitive. The benefits and costs of the research are to be distributed amongst participants equally.
What is informed consent and why was it not given to the study participants?
Informed consent is being aware of all the potential dangers that come with participating in a study. In this case the participants did not know what their illness was, that they would be denied treatment or what the purpose of the study was. It was not giving to the participants in the study because the men were black and mostly illiterate.
Did racism play into the way the Tuskegee Study participants were treated? Provide your thoughts about your answer to the question.
Racism definitely played a large part in the study. The participants were all poor, illiterate black men who were lied to about the testing and research that was being conducted on them. There was an idea that if science did not interfere that the black population would kill itself off through sexually transmitted disease. About 50 percent of the black population had a sexually transmitted disease and there was a high number of miscarriages and stillbirths as a result, so ultimately the study seemed to have been about ascertaining how fast syphilis could kill of the black population.
Works Cited
Baker, Allie. "Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment Documentary." YouTube. N.p., 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 25 Aug. 2016.
Coughlin, Steven S, and Tom L. Beauchamp. Ethics and Epidemiology. New York: Oxford UP, 1996. Print.
Daigle, Delton. "Research Ethics Involving Human Subjects." YouTube. N.p., 29 May 2014. Web. 25 Aug. 2016.
