Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that causes ulcers, rashes, and even death if not treated. Patients look to doctors to cure them of illnesses they are unable to cure themselves. When a patient comes to a doctor the patient is putting his/her life into their hands. So, when a doctor does something or doesn’t do something to help that patient, it leaves mistrust between the relationship of doctor and patient. In the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and Guatamala venereal disease study the doctors claimed they were helping them when instead they were doing nothing for them. Even if it was for the sake of research patients have every right to know what is going on.

The rational behind the neglect of the African Americans was to see how syphilis progressed through the body. After this experiment the amount of mistrust among the African American population regarding doctors spiked. Poorly conducted experiments like this one could potentially affect other patient’s willingness to join these types of experiments and it also could create a distrust in the medical profession in general.