Human Experimentation by the U.S. Government1830s to 2026
Chester Southam's Cancer Cell Injections (1954-1963)Who Conducted It: Dr. Chester Southam, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; with funding from the American Cancer Society
Who Was Harmed: More than 600 people, including cancer patients, prisoners at Ohio State Penitentiary, and elderly residents of the Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital in Brooklyn
What Happened: Beginning in 1954, Dr. Southam injected HeLa cells (live cancer cells) into cancer patients to study immune response without telling them he was injecting cancer cells. He then expanded his research to healthy prisoners to serve as a control group. Neither group was told the injections contained cancer cells.In 1963, Southam approached administrators at the Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital and arranged to inject 22 elderly patients, all of whom were debilitated and many of whom had dementia, with live cancer cells.
Three physicians at the hospital refused to participate and reported Southam to the New York Board of Regents.The Board found Southam guilty of fraud, deceit, and unprofessional conduct.
He was placed on probation for one year.
Two years after his conviction, he was elected president of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Three years after that, he became president of the American Cancer Society.
https://marginofthelaw.com/human-experimentation-by-the-u-s-government/
Human Experimentation by the U.S. Government1830s to 2026
Chester Southam's Cancer Cell Injections (1954-1963)Who Conducted It: Dr. Chester Southam, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; with funding from the American Cancer Society
Who Was Harmed: More than 600 people, including cancer patients, prisoners at Ohio State Penitentiary, and elderly residents of the Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital in Brooklyn
What Happened: Beginning in 1954, Dr. Southam injected HeLa cells (live cancer cells) into cancer patients to study immune response without telling them he was injecting cancer cells. He then expanded his research to healthy prisoners to serve as a control group. Neither group was told the injections contained cancer cells.In 1963, Southam approached administrators at the Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital and arranged to inject 22 elderly patients, all of whom were debilitated and many of whom had dementia, with live cancer cells.
Three physicians at the hospital refused to participate and reported Southam to the New York Board of Regents.The Board found Southam guilty of fraud, deceit, and unprofessional conduct.
He was placed on probation for one year.
Two years after his conviction, he was elected president of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Three years after that, he became president of the American Cancer Society.
https://marginofthelaw.com/human-experimentation-by-the-u-s-government/