Sorry late! A UCSF investigation found that a number of inmate studies failed to meet ethical standards.
San Francisco (USA) – Sorry late! It actually should scientific Experiments, especially on humans, are only carried out under strict regulations. At a university of United States of America however, this has not always been the case in the past.
During the study, mosquitoes were placed on the inmates’ skin. (symbol image) © Zorginbeeld/Radboud University Medical Center/dpa
An internal investigation by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) has revealed that a number of studies of inmates in the 1960s and 1970s did not meet ethical standards such as that San Francisco Chronicle reported.
As a result, two school dermatologists tested herbicides and pesticides on at least 2,600 men at the California Medical Facility, a prison hospital in Vacaville on the US West Coast.
The potentially toxic substances were injected into the subjects during the experiments, after which the researchers placed small cages with mosquitoes on the prisoners’ arms to test the “attractiveness of humans towards mosquitoes”.
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Unfortunately Dr. Howard Maibach (93), who still works at the university, and Dr. William Epstein consequently did not seek UCSF committee approval before the experiments.
Furthermore, there are apparently only scant records of actually asking consent statements of human guinea pigs.
UCSF apologizes for “unethical” experiments.
Meanwhile, experiments on inmates have been banned in the United States. © Eric Risberg/AP/dpa
Although the participants volunteered and were paid $30 a month, they were likely subjected to “questionable informed consent practices,” according to the university’s Historical Review program report.
It is therefore no longer possible to determine with certainty whether all prisoners were actually informed about the possible medical risks of the study.
“UCSF expressly apologizes for its role in the harm done to subjects, their families, and our community by enabling this research and acknowledges the institution’s implied role in perpetuating the unethical treatment of vulnerable and underprivileged populations, regardless of legal or feel like time,” Vice Dean Dan Lowenstein said in the university’s official statement.
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In 1977, the two doctors’ unsupervised practice ended permanently because California had prohibited by law research on state prison inmates.
Dr Howard Maibach disagrees with the UCSF report
The UCSF report revealed important ethical issues in the experiments conducted. (symbol image) © 123rf/studiolamagica
While Epstein, who has since died, spoke out in a state hearing that same year in favor of renewed legalization of prisoner experiments in a detention facility, Maibach denied responsibility after the omissions became known.
“Dr. Maibach’s activities in Vacaville were known and supported by UCSF trustees, including the UCSF Ethics Committee,” said the 93-year-old son, who was unable to speak personally after suffering a stroke.
It is unknown whether Maibach is threatened with disciplinary action by the university in light of the report.
