Peter Buxtun, Whistleblower of Tuskegee Study, Dies at 86
Jul 18, 2024
Peter Buxtun, whistleblower of the Tuskegee study withholding syphilis treatment from black men, has passed away at 86, leaving a lasting legacy in exposing the ethical violations of the study.
Peter Buxtun, the whistleblower of the Tuskegee study, has died at 86. The study withheld syphilis treatment from rural black men in Alabama.
According to Minna Fernan, Buxtun's attorney, Buxtun passed away on May 18 in Rocklin, California, as a result of complications from Alzheimer's disease.
Buxtun exposed the notorious US medical research scandal, leading to a public outcry and ending the study in 1972.
In 1932, a study was conducted in Tuskegee, Alabama, involving 400 black men who were diagnosed with syphilis. During the 1940s, when antibiotics became accessible, a deliberate decision was made to refrain from administering treatment in order to observe the effects of the disease.
In the 1960s, Buxtun, a federal public health worker in San Francisco, learned about a study. It wasn't a secret, with some articles published, but there were few concerns about the methods.
Buxtun expressed ethical concerns in a letter sent to CDC officials in 1966. In a subsequent meeting held in Atlanta in 1967, his complaints were met with criticism, and his pleas for action were consistently dismissed. He advocated for fair treatment of the individuals in Tuskegee.
Heller's story was published in 1972, leading to hearings, a lawsuit, a settlement, and the study's termination. In 1997, President Clinton apologized for the study, calling it "shameful."
On Monday, the leader of a group dedicated to honoring the study participants expressed appreciation towards Buxtun for drawing attention to the experiment.
Buxtun, who was born in Prague in 1937, comes from a family with Jewish roots. Due to the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, his family made the decision to relocate to the United States in 1939. They eventually found a home in Irish Bend, Oregon, situated on the Columbia River.
He compared the Tuskegee study to Nazi experiments on prisoners. The government implemented new rules after the study was exposed. Some African Americans are hesitant to participate in medical research because of it.
Buxtun attended the University of Oregon, after which he served in the U.S. Army as both a combat medic and a psychiatric social worker. In 1965, Buxtun decided to join the federal health service.
Buxtun maintained his engagement with the Tuskegee study, actively contributing by writing, presenting, and being recognized with awards. Additionally, he engaged in the trade of antiques, specializing in military weapons, swords, and gambling equipment from the California Gold Rush period, utilizing his frequent travels to collect and sell such items.
He also dedicated more than twenty years of his life to recovering his family's properties, which were unlawfully seized by the Nazis. His tireless efforts resulted in some success in this pursuit.
Another individual, Angie Bailie, mentioned attending multiple presentations on the Tuskegee subject delivered by Buxtun on a regular basis.
Buxtun himself humbly admitted that he had underestimated the strong reaction of certain health officials to his concerns regarding the ethical aspects of the study.
At a Johns Hopkins University forum in 2018, Buxtun was asked about the source of his moral conviction in blowing the whistle.
"It wasn't strength," he said. "It was stupidity."
