Final answer:
Subjects in the Tuskegee Study were falsely told they were treated for 'bad blood,' when the study's true intent was to observe untreated syphilis. This study is a notable case of ethical misconduct in medical research history.
Step-by-step explanation:
The test subjects in the Tuskegee Study were told that they were being treated for 'bad blood,' a vague term used at the time that could refer to various ailments including syphilis, anemia, and fatigue. However, in reality, the study aimed to observe the natural progression of untreated syphilis in Black males.
There were 600 participants, of which 399 had been diagnosed with syphilis. The Tuskegee study became infamous for its ethical violations, including the lack of informed consent and withholding of treatment after Penicillin was discovered as an effective cure for syphilis.
The deceit and maltreatment of the study participants were significant because they were not given important information about their diagnosis or the available treatments, leading to serious health consequences for the men and their families. The fallout from the study ultimately contributed to a reassessment of ethical standards in human research, including the necessity for informed consent.