From 1946 to 1948, the U.S. conducted a NIH-funded study of the effectiveness of penicillin in Guatemala by knowingly infecting 700 Guatemalans (mental patients, soldiers and prison inmates) with venereal diseases. Syphiliswas among these venereal disease. Susan M. Reverby, a professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, brought attention to this unethical experiment through her research paper. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama have officially apologize to the Guatemalan government for this experiment.
