Skip to main content

How Clinical Research Should Never Have Been Done: Ethical Measures for Protection and Respect

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
  • 738 Accesses

Abstract

There are examples of unethical clinical research not just in Nazi Germany but in the United States, in which advances in medical knowledge were gained at the expense of individual well-being and autonomy. The Nuremberg Code was developed in 1949 after the atrocities of Nazi medical research were discovered to codify the protection of human subjects and ensure voluntary consent. After the US Tuskegee Syphilis experiment came to light, the Belmont Report in 1979 delineated the three principals of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. It also established the system of Institutional Review Boards to oversee research on a local level.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Spettel S, White MD. The portrayal of J Marion Sims controversial surgical legacy. J Urol. 2011;185:2424–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Berger RL. Nazi science–the Dachau hypothermia experiments. N Engl J Med. 1990;322(20):1435–40.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Mitscherlich A, Mielke F, Norden H. Doctors of infamy: the story of the Nazi medical crimes. In: The Nuremberg Code (1947). New York: Schuman; 1949.

    Google Scholar 

  4. James J. Bad blood: the Tuskegee syphilis experiment. New York: Free Press; 1981. ISBN 0-02-916676-4.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Office of the Press Secretary. Remarks by the President in asn apology for study done in Tuskegee. The White House. May 16, 1997. https://clintonwhitehouse 4. Archives.gov.

  6. Smiths. Wellsley professor unearths a horror: Syphilis experiments in Guatemala. Boston Globe Oct 2, 2010. https://archive.boston.com/News/local/massachusetts.

  7. Centers For Disease Control. Finding from a CDA report on the 1946-48 U.S. Public Health Service Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Inoculation Study. Sept 30, 2010. http://www.hhs.gov/1946 inoculation study/findings.html.

  8. McNeil DG Jr. U.S. apologizes for syphilis tests in Guatemala. The New York Times. Oct 2, 2010. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/02/health/research/02infect.html.

  9. Krug S. The Willowbrook hepatitis studies revisited: Ethical aspects. Review of Infx Diseases 1986;8(1):157–62.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Rivera G. Willowbrook: a report on how it is and why it doesn’t have to be that way. New York: Random House; 1972. ISBN 0-394-71844-5.

    Google Scholar 

  11. National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, Department of Health, Education and Welfare (DHEW). The Belmont report. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office; 1978.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

East, C. (2018). How Clinical Research Should Never Have Been Done: Ethical Measures for Protection and Respect. In: Developing a Successful Clinical Research Program. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54693-3_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54693-3_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-54692-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-54693-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics