Tuskegee syphilis study, where generations of Black men in Alabama were exploited as part of experiment, part of new book

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A decades-long experiment that took place in Alabama and became one of the worst examples of medical malfeasance in history, will be explored in a new book.

“Infected: How Politics, Power, and Privilege Use Science Against the World’s Most Vulnerable,”

a new book by Boston University professor Muhammad Zaman, will be released in November through New Press.

Zaman, a biomedical engineering professor at BU, previously wrote “We Wait for a Miracle: Health Care and Forcibly Displaced,” on the medical shortfalls offered to migrant communities. In “Infected,” Zaman explores how medical research has been exploited over the years to push vulnerable groups further into the margins of society.

governments and groups around the world have used research on infectious diseases to “enact racist policies, harm vulnerable groups in the name of scientific discovery, and weaponize infection for wars.”

“While medical advances over the last century have saved millions of lives, Zaman argues that such success is only part of the story, claiming that governments and powerful political entities have exploited infectious disease research to enact racist policies, harm vulnerable groups in the name of scientific discovery, and weaponize infection for wars,” a statement on the book read.

Part of that exploration concerns the Tuskegee syphilis study, where 600 Black men were experimented on between 1932 and 1972 as part of an experiment by the United States Health Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, these men were never told they had syphilis, nor were they ever given proper medical attention, often given placebos as part of the experiment. Many died as a result of the malpractice.

The study drew widespread criticism over the way it was conducted and the ethical violations.

The book will be released in November.