In October 2010, the U.S. government issued an apology to Guatemala for egregious medical experiments conducted during the 1940s. U.S. and Guatemalan doctors, working with the Pan American Sanitary Bureau (PASB), intentionally infected over 1,300 Guatemalan soldiers, prisoners, hospital patients, and registered sex workers with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis, gonorrhea, and chancroid. The purpose was to study the effectiveness of chemical prophylaxis solutions. These experiments involved paying sex workers to transmit the infections and, when that failed, using syringes to deliberately infect individuals. Most of the infected Guatemalans were not provided with the treatments that were available, such as penicillin, which had been proven effective against syphilis just a few years prior.
U.S. and Guatemalan doctors went to great lengths to hide these experiments from the public. Despite facing scrutiny from moral reformers and anti-vivisectionists in the United States, the researchers managed to keep the details under wraps. In 1947, as the New York Times noted the ethical impossibility of infecting people with STIs for study, these experiments continued in secret. The controversy surrounding U.S. experimentation in Latin America wasn’t new; similar uproar had occurred in the 1930s when a letter from Dr. Cornelius P. Rhoads, claiming he gave cancer to Puerto Ricans, led to fierce denunciations of U.S. imperialism.
The experiments in Guatemala were uncovered in 2005 by historian Susan Reverby while researching the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study. Reverby found records of the Guatemalan experiments among the personal papers of John C. Cutler, a U.S. Public Health Service officer involved in both the Guatemala and Tuskegee studies. These records, restricted to “serious researchers,” revealed the depths of the unethical practices. The revelation of these experiments led to international outrage, highlighting the recurring theme of unethical medical experimentation by U.S. authorities.
In 2010, the public revelation of these experiments prompted the U.S. government to apologize. This drew parallels to the Tuskegee syphilis study, despite differences in methodology, as both highlighted the systemic abuse in medical research. Guatemalan activists denounced the experiments as a form of U.S. intervention during the Guatemalan Spring, a period of democratic reform from 1944 to 1954 that was abruptly ended by a CIA-backed coup, further entrenching the narrative of U.S. imperialism in the region.
The role of Guatemalan doctors in these experiments, many of whom held significant positions in the revolutionary government, reveals a complex interplay of local and foreign influences. These doctors aimed to integrate Indigenous populations into mainstream society, drawing on eugenic ideologies to “regenerate” marginalized groups. Their collaboration with U.S. public health institutions, particularly in the context of global medical advancements during WWII, underscores the challenges of building a national health infrastructure amid pervasive international influence.
The impact of these experiments continues to resonate in Guatemala. Survivors like Marta Lidia Orellana, who endured physical and sexual abuse during the experiments, have passed on the trauma to subsequent generations. The long-term health complications from untreated STIs have caused ongoing suffering. Attempts to secure reparations from the U.S. government and involved institutions have largely failed, highlighting the difficulties faced by victims of powerful entities.
Despite the passage of time, the legacy of these experiments lingers, shaping perceptions of foreign medical research in Guatemala. During the COVID-19 pandemic, fears resurfaced about being used as test subjects by foreign corporations. These historical abuses underscore the need for vigilance and accountability in medical research, illustrating the persistent influence of past injustices on present-day attitudes and policies.