Allen M. Hornblum is a former criminal justice official and college professor who has written books on organized crime, Soviet espionage, sports, and medical ethics. His book, Acres of Skin, is considered the classic work on the subject of prisoners as test subjects for human experimentation. His most recent book is Against Their Will: The Secret History of Medical Experimentation on Children in America (with Judith L. Newman & Gregory J. Dober). Email: ahornblum [at] comcast.net
by Allen Hornblum Fifty years ago this July, newspaper headlines shocked the conscience of the nation with a disturbing story of racial bias and medical mistreatment in one of America’s most honored institutions. The alarming Associated Press story first appeared on July 25, 1972 in the Washington Star. The front page headline, “Syphilis Patients Died…