 One of the most infamous United States cases of questionable medical ethics in the 20th century was the Tuskegee syphilis study . The study took place in Tuskegee , Alabama , and was supported by the U.S. Public Health Service ( PHS ) in partnership with the Tuskegee Institute . The study began in 1932 , when syphilis was a widespread problem and there was no safe and effective treatment . The study was designed to measure the progression of untreated syphilis . By 1947 , penicillin had been shown to be an effective cure for early syphilis and was becoming widely used to treat the disease . Its use in later syphilis was still unclear . Study directors continued the study and did not offer the participants treatment with penicillin . This is debated , and some have found that penicillin was given to many of the subjects . 
