title: Syphilis and human experimentation from the first appearance of the disease to World War II: a historical perspective and reflections on ethics.
abstract: Physicians have conducted research on syphilis for centuries, seeking to understand its etiology and the means of transmission as well as find ways to prevent and cure the disease. Their research practices often strayed from today's ethical standards. In this paper we review ethical aspects of the long history of research on syphilis with emphasis on the experiments performed in the 20th century. The description of research around the time of World War II covers medical experiments carried out in US prisons and in the experimentation centers established by Japanese doctors in occupied territory, as well as experiments in Nazi Germany and the treatment of syphilitics there.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Anatomía y Embriología Humana, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, España. Electronic address: esther.cuerda@urjc.es.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cuerda-Galindo
authors.affiliation: Institut Català de la Salut, Terrassa, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sierra-Valentí
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: González-López
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Camilo José Cela, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: López-Muñoz
mesh_terms: D026688:Bioethical Issues / Q000266:history*; D005858:Germany; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006805:Human Experimentation / Q000266:history*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D028683:National Socialism / Q000266:history; D013587:Syphilis / Q000266:history*; D014481:United States; D047789:World War II
keywords: Japan; Japón; Nazis; Prisiones; Prisons; Syphilis; Sífilis; Unidad 731; Unit 731