Final answer:
In the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, African American men were not administered antibiotics, specifically penicillin, despite its known efficacy. This was part of an unethical study by the United States Public Health Service to observe the effects of untreated syphilis, which caused great harm to the subjects and their families.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, antibiotics, specifically penicillin, which was recognized as an effective treatment for syphilis by the 1940s, were not administered to the African American men participating in the study. Even though the treatment was known and available, the subjects were not treated or even informed of their condition; instead, the researchers aimed to observe the natural progression of untreated syphilis.The withholding of penicillin and other syphilis treatments was a grave ethical violation. The men were led to believe they were being treated for 'bad blood' and received no actual remedy for their condition. As a result, many men transmitted the disease to their families and suffered severe health consequences, with some dying from complications related to syphilis.The study was eventually exposed and terminated, leading to significant changes in research ethics protocols to better protect human subjects. The United States Public Health Service conducted this study from 1932 to 1972. Notably, this unethical conduct was a catalyst for developing the National Research Act of 1974, establishing stringent guidelines for human research to prevent such abuses in the future.