In 1932, the Public Health Service, working with the Tuskegee Institute, began a study to justify syphilis treatment programs in African Americans. The study initially involved 600 black men – 399 with syphilis, 201 without the disease. The study was conducted without the benefit of patients’ informed consent. Researchers told the men they were being treated for “bad blood,” a local term used to describe several ailments, including syphilis, anemia, and fatigueIn truth, they did not receive the proper treatment needed to cure their illness. In exchange for taking part in the study, the men received free medical exams, free meals, and burial insurance.

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