History, Ethics and the Presidential Commission on Research in Guatemala
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History, Ethics and the Presidential Commission on Research in Guatemala
What is this about?
This is a factual case about a medical study that took place in a Guatemalan prison. In this study, experiments studying syphilis infection were performed on military personnel, prisoners and asylum inmates, and orphans without their consent. Rather than giving a detailed description of events, like other reports on this subject have already done, the article reconstructs the research environment that allowed this unethical study to take place.
Why is this important?
To prevent future research misconduct and unethical behaviour, it is important to understand which factors make it possible for such practices to take place. In addition, as is noted in the article, it is important to do justice not only to the victims of the research misconduct but to all those involved in the practice, especially when the accused are deceased. When examining cases of research misconduct in the past, it is important to keep in mind the ethical standards at the time of the research and not apply our current ethical frameworks to the case. The analysis of the ethical standards in the present article contributes to these various aspects of retrospective understanding of research misconduct cases.
