Cobaias (Miss Evers´ Boys) - Legendado - O Caso Tuskegee

[Music] [Music] h [Music] [Music] [Music] w oh show me Lord if there's a way Show we I can't see tomorrow and I can't hide a sorrow if there's a way out won't you show me if there's a heaven would you take me oh there's a heaven don't Forsake [Music] there's no place to R you know everything I've done if there's a heaven would you still take [Music] me [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] yeah I solemnly pledge myself before God to pass my life in Purity to practice my profession Faithfully to Endeavor with loyalty to assist the

physician in his work to devote myself to the welfare of those patients committed to my care here that's the oath I took Senator just like the doctors do I took a oath the nurse's Oath you have to understand nursing was my lie we do understand and respect that Miss ever and we do appreciate very much your testifying before us today I hope you understand that the sole purpose of this committee is to discover the truths about the Public Health Service program commonly called the Tuskegee study that's we are on sir good now I understand you

worked on the program from the beginning from the very first In 1932 up until I retired a few years ago nearly 40 years oh goodness that's longer than I've been in the Senate tell me m Serv how did you feel about the study our patients got the best Doctrine they ever had Li but according to the testimony so far Miss Evers there are ways in which this study sounds like some sort of Nazi experiment was established at nberg that Experimentation without inform could whatever there was an epidemic with all that syphus going around Senator life

was always hard in Mak County but the depression made it worse you just have no idea what it was like down there back then we've heard a lot of testimonies M Evers from some of the patients from other nurses and from your supervisor Dr Brodus Dr brus is a fine doctor who cared Senator I don't care what y'all Say about him now I was honored to serve under that [Music] man are we just going to let him choke to death but what do you suggest nurse we've tried digitales we tried mercal diuretics maybe I should

just cut him open and drain them I'm sorry you don't mean to take it out it was a farming accident wasn't it yeah he was playing the mule got away From him kicked him crushed his chest his heart just won't or is that fluid on the pericardium left to notify his parents what made you think boy that you were old enough to handle a mule this bed clothes a away I'm going to get dry ones no no wait a minute get away from him what I want you to get me a syringe with a large

bore needle now what did I say cut them open and drain them maybe I knew what I was Talking about I'm not going to I'm not going to hurt you son just want to take a look at your chest that's all just want to take a look and you take nurse ever's hand there it is and you squeeze it it's tight you can't hurt me you don't get much of a chance to hold on to a pretty lady's hand like that now do you I'm not going to hurt you son and my nurse no doctor

that's it that's it you got to Trust you trust him and you'd be up and around in no time that's true I don't want you with that M no more what's that music name dang what's his [Music] [Music] name find doctor doctor brus is he call it or is he what Papa I tell you got to tell you we don't have white doctor that tus only Way you been carrying on carrying on I was just being appreciative he saved that boy's life what's he supposed to do he's a doctor a wait on people doing what

they supposed to do and see how long you wait you always did like saving people I didn't save Dr bro save I was only doing my nursing job not to be saying only either you're a nurse much more of just a job so don't you go making light of it I'm not Papa Unless you want to end up cleaning some white lady's toilet like your mama had to do all of her life I have had my share of that hammer be out in 10 minutes we didn't slave to send you to a nursing school for

that kind of life no papa you did not all right then no all right then come in yes doctor oh good Miss Everest are you still checked out to drive the district office car I've got a new job For you do you need me to go somewhere if we hurry we can uh we can make it on time there somebody very important we have to pick up at the bus dgas I'm sorry we're late I hope you had a pleasant trip yes I did Welcome to tesk how are you fine sure Pleasant seeing you you

too uh bags oh yes here uh let me give you a hand thank you Sure oh I forgot my maners Dr Douglas nurse Evers hi too it's a pleasure yes sir Dr Douglas I think you're going to find the nurse every will be a tremendous help to you well we will need all the help we can get and luckily we've got all the funding we need from a uh foundation in Chicago everyone's aware of what a plague syphilis has become and we're determined to stamp this thing out but this problem is just for the negr

in Mak County yes and That's why Tuskegee was chosen it's one of the few all negro hospitals in the south in a county that's almost 80% colored now you may not know this but you people have one of the highest concentrations of in the country it's it's nearly 35% now we know it doctor I mean our our words are filled with syphilis because the white hospitals won't let him in Negroes also have more pagro pneumonia and TB but there is no statistical basis for the belief that Syphilis is a Negro disease anymore than it was

a French disease in the last century or Russian or polish before that no don't get me wrong doctor I'm not one of those that believe that Negroes are inherently more susceptible because of some uh I mean I voted for Roosevelt we'll have to test them first of course give them wasman to make sure I'll take that doctor that in itself Would be a huge undertaking great pains for great rewards right you don't intend on telling them they have syphilis do you well if they have it we'll have to tell them something won't we well maybe

we better not use a word they never heard before that just scare them off doctor so what are we supposed to tell them well just tell them if there's something to matter with their blood I have to say exactly they all know about Bad Blood she's right that's What they call anything that's the matter with them the main thing is we have to make them understand we only want to get them well and we do I do you do and the government does we're going to find a cure for this disease we're going to stop

at nothing less they doing this for the Negro got to be a hoodwin in out some place don't go always looking for the underside girl but I'm always finding it these men are being treated for a very bad disease That's more than anybody else has ever done for him so don't you go making a mockery of Betty Parson yeah look you're taking my place here on the ward so you hop to it you keep your eye out on Mr Blakeley cuz you going to think he taking his medicine but he hiding his heels under his

tongue and that new man is com in you checking for a fever every 2 hours and make sure he don't go spiking on you listen me giving you advice come here Girl you're going to do just fine but now don't go getting too many ideas of your own self you listen to your doctors cuz they know yeah right here show look good in your new uniform Unice like you was born to it it's going to be a great thing good luck I see it was a great thing the government had never done nothing like that

for us before there was the dawn of a new day and I was the one they had chose to spread the Word I have been sent I have been sent I have been sent here by the government the United States government yes I have up there in Washington and the government is sending us the best medicine to treat anybody in this County who needs it when did that ever happen H oh something good is starting up for a change something new and this time we all going to be part of it you have not seen

the health you going to see in Mak County Alabama y'all going to come see me when you get there you will see me don't worry you going to come see me sister you going to bring that big pretty baby with you you going to come see next yes way the government was thinking Mr K say is that you might have feel hands don't even know you got bad blood they just feel kind of sickly a lot of the Time and that s is not good for your cotton business stand the reason a sickly field hand

ain't going to Pick n about much cotton as a healthy one so uh we get them better and then it's just helping them it's helping you which is my concern too cuz we here for the whole Community yes ma'am even if your dirt pole and you ain't got to Dam to your name if you ain't seen a doctor in your whole life if you got bad blood you get Treated for free now ain't that something I'm asking you ain't that something for government to be doing and for the college oh we got us a whole

new deal hand now who coming to see me raise up your hand Who coming to see [Music] [Music] me morning morning y'all didn't bring your friends I'm happy to see you [Music] hello hey what you do next fly away fly away there [Music] hey [Music] [Applause] that's that was truly fun the way you was turning and twisting that's the mark of a Bor dancer excuse me I'm ner ever I'm the person you here to meet thank you for Coming we here on the C of Mr cook he told us we better he send you too

no white man sent me color man a fine important color man Dr Samuel J BR us from up pusk to offer y'all some free Doctrine free huh you say free yeah Doctrine is fine and free as any you can get anywhere yeah but see we ain't sick that's right yeah you see anybody as sick be able to dance like this now that's a mighty fine moveie but That still don't mean you ain't got bad blood how you know we got bad blood well that's what we going to find out ain't it been a long time

since I sat here this where you done your schooling mhm I said rat smack dab in front of Miss tetas look she ain't like us doing that but everybody did it just had to be careful not to get caught you sir your name wait hold up why the government helping us all of a sudden what they got a w coming they Going to need us well they have a whole new view of things a kind of people point of view and it's coming straight down from president Roseville well I ain't scared to get my name

my name is Willie Johnson will w i l l e Johnson mhm yeah hodman hodman Hardman Brian Brian yeah well I'm I'm Ben Ben I'm Big Ben Washington Big Ben Washington see we a group the four of us you looking at the next winners of the mon County Vic troller Jil competition right here that's right that's right yeah but see just CU I give you my name that don't mean I'm coming back no treatment I just had me an idea I know how I can get the government to take y'all to that competition how you

going to do that I drive you there in my government car After we stop off at the hospital and get your free tests and your free hot lunches he free lunch all right free lunch yep you got to fatten you up for the kill h I got you got [Music] scar okay now y'all say it's four you and this your group where the fourth he ain't coming no see he don't believe Anything Mr Kirk say could be good for the color he work for Mr Kirk no he don't work for Mr Kirk it's Caleb he

work for himself well this ain't got nothing to do with Mr Kirk you dealing with the government right here Caleb humph Caleb humph Caleb humph sat right behind me you josha now I will never forget that boy as long as I live he made me so miserable Pulling on my hair and sticking my pigtails in the ink whale if I do nothing with him that's s just like KB s like he won't come in for treatment not kayb yeah I've been waiting 20 years to put some sides on that [Music] boy yeah that don't exactly

make us even but it's something Unice ever don't say you don't remember me Unice Evers I remember You you a smart one remember what you used to do to me he was a girl ain't no good reason you still ought to be shamed excuse me uh hey hey come here carry this feed out to your mama yum Karina Karina almost done yeah comy huh you have a fine looking family Oh my brother's wife's kids I'm just living here helping out what's this about you not coming for treatment I don't trust no government as far as

this doctor is concerned I'm the government what you got to say about that you trust me or you still want to pull my hair both I [Music] [Applause] you I got one I got one they came in with me so did the other ones I talked to and the ones they talked to did they come on foot in the owner's truck anywhere they could they came in for treatment sely needed [Music] treatment my God so many I had no idea yeah welcome to making County Doctor well we better start another line there a lot of

men here in need of care if I could have all the young men down on this end please file into this room and form two new lines thank you morning morning as oh that stuff you give me sure did the did the Chistmas ever well we going to get everybody in making County well You see next group Kay ma'am I see you getting even with me for pulling the hair huh get out that easy but give me your finger it's all right all right hold it up h no Miss I don't want to get my

blood took uh I got a wife I got a wife I got I'm still young and I got Obligations obligations you know to my wife family obligations so I just can't help how blood took you know Fred Milson down at Alma works in the saw man that's s going on a children he been giving his blood for 6 years and his obligations is doing just fine well I sure hope you right Miss cuz that would said if it wasn't so could you step out here for a second Okay Doctor yes you excuse me I'd like

to speak with the men sure right gentlemen there seems to be some confusion let me explain what we're checking for there is a germ that infects the genital area resulting in a temporary and painless but highly contagious penal ulceration now this ulceration will disappear as the disease becomes non-contagious or or latent and this uh This latency can last for up to 30 years until finally the cardiovascular and nervous systems will disintegrate and collapse are there any [Music] questions doctor could I just say something sure by froling too much or maybe passed on from your mom

and your daddy you might get a really bad so down below on your private parts then through that s bug and crawl up inside here and go to Sleep for 20 30 years or more so it's not to hurt nobody but you but when it wake up you can't walk you can't breathe you can't think that is Bad Blood that's what we checking to see if y'all got so we can get rid of it you done come on will nurse can I speak with you for a second yes doctor thank you I know I'm a

good medical doctor but I'm not so sure that I'm a good people Doctor yet Dr Douglas you helping people you're good people doctor come on evening Unice see you worked a long day the world's full of sickness thanks look I ain't accustom to ask him for favors but well you ain't used to see him again neither but here we are I was wondering could you get a hold to a book medicine book tell you about That bug oh the docor will answer any questions that you have I know but I I'd rather read up on

it for myself those books are so technical you think I won't understand it I see what's in the library Kayla what you put school for you use a smartest one in the class I was just the pushiest you used to drive Miss tias crazy ask them questions all the time then all of a sudden you wasn't there I appreciate it if you get hold That book for [Music] [Applause] [Applause] me old boys is pretty good yeah ain't good as you really you know they a I don't know about that see the way that boy was

doing that sand slide sh I didn't seen you do that stepping your sleep Willie yeah well only thing is now I'm wide away you go Ahead Willie you got to think positive now you going to win this thing that's right cuz we the best no doubt about that that man to say our new name you know I told him to say the name I got you better not foret CU that name going to be our good luck charm oh names don't give you no luck nether do charm what you know about charm know enough not

to mess with him every listen list listen make a group we've been here a lot of good Things about Miss EV [Applause] boys [Music] walk your hand that on [Music] [Music] down here we go [Music] [Applause] y'all I tell you man but see you you I looked over there Caleb I said look you went what was that you did there you you when I went up in the air well that was the um that was the the Jack Sprint you show it get everybody's attention out got mine I tell you the truth I I can't

believe we won the Victor you know I had I ain't never want nothing my whole life Before and this sure been something that first of many really you right your right from here right on to The Cotton Club in Harlem New York USA that's what I'm talking about oh will they got aspirations yo yes what's wrong with that don't you oh miss Elis now you know Caleb wouldn't tell you if he had Caleb would tell his old mama he been born I guess he figur she find out sooner or later oh signifying y'all need to

quit and There's our houses right over there miss wait till everybody see this coming in govern car come on out here H there you go yeah take this don't drop it tell you something this time to voller next time to record that's right I like that hey M you and the CH come come out here look at this hav Ben willly Miss ever boys that's us I just want you to know that name in your group after me oh we Knew it would bring us L it El us but I have never had such an

honor and I just want to thank you hey the first of me oh yeah good night Miss Caleb talk to you later thanks m the audience love y'all that wiie he's very good he really could get this cotton clo if you wanted to mhm is that that book you give me yeah I had them symptoms once and Uh y I'll give me that test to make sure about it the Wason test mhm not just tell whether you got it or you or you don't that's right do I don't I Caleb the doctor's I'm asking you

now yeah you have it so the rest of the men hman Ben will actually most of the men that came in but cus is treatable there's saon treatment there's the Merc rugs that ACC Cur it well it's not 100% And there's some side effects but there's a chance it's kind of chance you fine k are and we going to make all y'all even finer there's a whole lot more competitions to win but um you won't tell them will you I mean what they got all they know is they got bad blood and we don't want

to scare them you telling me I got a right to know why don't they got a right to know well I made an exception for you it was unprofessional of me but what's done is Done but we don't want to scare the other men they ain't children they colored please Caleb the doctors know what they doing they think it's for the best you think that too of course I do yes why are you always trying to fluster me you ain't changed a bit have you all right I keep my mouth shut you ain't changed the

bit NE [Music] [Applause] Rub hard now hard as you can rub hard now squee that those muscles holler oh I can't even hear you that is the CEST please I ever heard [Music] how you love to c a [Music] [Music] bad I bet you ain't never seen no Dan step like that before actually I have seen something Similar wait Harlem Cotton Club oh man you lying no Cotton Club no I'm not okay who you singing dance there well I seen bucking Bubbles and um snake lips uh snake hips Tucker yeah that's snake hips Tucker hey

man did you see Ruby blue ruby blue I don't think so he don't think so hey man if you seen Ruby blue you wouldn't think so you know so mhm oh yeah oh man he be scattering and [Music] leaping hey he's the best well I guess I'm just going to have to get back there someday and see him I guess you will hey Miss Ella you hear what this man say he said he been to the Club well he can't stay in it all his life and I wasn't lying I was actually there Caleb I

don't know any more books on the matter oh I don't need no more you wouldn't To go out with anybody got what I got would you you mean go like took picture show or get something to eat something like that you you wouldn't do that would no I wouldn't go with anybody that that's what I figed yeah all right I go with you I don't want you stepping out with no field hand you're a professional woman a nurse you don't see any doctors ask me Out a lawyers for that matter a Undertakers and he's not

just a feel H he why am I making excuses I've been trying to tell you all your life you got to set your sights High uphold the Dignity of this family got a good sense of timing too Caleb evening Unice come on in I got my truck W come on it Ain going to run off I want you to meet my papa papa this is Caleb humph Caleb Mr Evis good evening sir howy he said right behind me in Miss Tia's class and pull my hair you seen the worst don't go booting on it are

you sure this thing are making now she don't take kindless disrespect I heard this was a jeuk joint out here well they have the liquor and all that carrying on on Saturday yeah bar can Mhm I bet you my mama made better everybody's Mama made better I remember me and my brother we had the job of lading out the sauce you know sure was good my mama's barbecue I always wish I had a brother mhm a my sister my mom couldn't have any more children after me [Applause] was that the only brother he Had yeah

he he he dead oh I'm sorry I I just thought maybe you know with what you got all it was oh you want to know what he died of but he ain't have what I had well he didn't uh have no Disease an accident he got himself oh God he had a big mouth like me I'm sorry I I didn't connect the name well ain't no reason for you to do that now I mean humph is around here look I'm sorry I ain't mean to spoil you got you Dripping all over your good dress forget

the dress you know what's funny is I was fixing to leave here when it happened go where anywhere USA H ride the rails Chicago you know see what's up north or Out West California you think it be different show can't be the same I dream on that Sometime going up to New York City and see the s don't have to get off the sidewalk when a white person come along well why don't you I love what I'm doing here the treatment the program knowing I'm doing good Sinners the diseas is the S Caleb not the

people the disease and you smoking it for and after good Lord help me oh you think Lord don't want me to wear This dress reog not [Music] is it okay oh yeah she be all right after my [Music] brother that's why I had to leave school take his play sty away you was just a child you could have kept up at home the smartest you were you Dy picking cotton all day and steuding at night I tried kept falling Asleep everybody can't be John Henry you got no reason to hold back fine [Music] [Applause] [Music]

come Sam I've got some B B news the program is being cancelled cancel we've run out of money where the the the the foundation in Chicago I mean they're going to be lost most of its Assets in the crash they've Given us all they can what about the Public Health Service I mean the problem was their IDE in the first place stamp out cus you said we're treating 1,400 patients that's 40 injections a year for each man there's just too much disease for the budget the idea was to use the funding to get the program

started and then turn it over to the States states don't have any money who was it that said that the poor aren't Affected by Wall Street Sam I'm in touch with Washington we all want to see if we can salvage this I mean the data we've collected this last year alone is worth its weight in gold I'm not interested in data I'm interested in treatment think of what it could mean for your race for the advancement in science that loss here is in lives doctor I understand that just give me some time okay let's cut

staff to the barebone divert funds From other departments whatever you have to do at least buy us a few more months and then what'll I do these men are sick they need treatment I know we just can't stop it like that what are they have no choice doct they trust us Nur us they've done a a wonderful job but I have to take off the pround we have to use what little money we have for treatment cut back in all departments It's either staff or medicine I understand yes of course now you can go back

to the war B part you senior no I would take some job no I wouldn't do that I hope I pray this is just temporary and then I'll be calling you back soon I know you do the best you can Mr R not that you know I'm even here going to be L for catfish night 6 months passed with no word There were fewer and fewer treatments and pretty soon none at all I tried to see him when I could but I had to take a job the only one I could find working as a

domestic just like my mother you had your supper I had their supper them folks waste more food than law we could feed the whole County how the boys your boys miss you I sure miss them mhm Dr Douglas worried about Willie doing his 4 foot knee drop Say it might hurt his cartridges you mean I know Cartage I looked it up but Willie took it for cartridges now he think he got bullets in his knees I hear they headed up to DC will Dr Douglas Dr bro for what can't tell by me Douglas went up

there like last week thr the SCU off the Ben to Washington Sam how was your trip well first the bus and the train I don't know which was more excruciating the ground is still moving it's just the way I felt so what do you think of Washington it's Grand we have been most impressed with the work you've been doing at T Dr br oh yes Davis take the doctor's back good work your syphilis treatment program was a model thank you it's a Pity the money ride up not a Pity it's a shame I'd call It

a crime but we may have a solution new study which is why we asked you up here oh besides wanting of course to meet you in person would you like a cool drink Dr brus um had a long trip done some soda in the office here sure thank you are you aware of the Oslo experiment Dr brus Oslo no the venial Disease Clinic in Oslo Norway published a very interesting report now they examined several hundred men sils they came up with fascinating data for example how Many men died with neurological impairment as compared to cardiovascular

fascinating doctor please here thank you here's the report take a look at it yourself um there's an English pricey in the back Coca-Cola uh root beer Orange Crush SAS Brill whatever I believe Dr brus that we have Mak County an extraordinary opportunity they studied only white people we Believe the Negro people deserve the same chance to be studied studied no we need money for treatment we can get money for this the federal government will pick up the whole tab not of course the 1400 patients that we've already been treating but we can study 400 men

with syphilis 200 non-contagious as a control group no more depending on Outsiders boot be all right fine thank you we need your Help we need TKE and now you seem skeptical no well maybe a little Sam this is for Real it's important to know whether the Negro reacts to syphilis the same way as the white man well suppose that um race doesn't make the difference and that the Negro reacts the same to syphilis as the white man well we'll want to know that too Wouldn't we this is science after all we want the truth regardless

of race create or color the stamping out of disease that's what this office is dedicated to for all the people Dr brus all of them and you want to repeat the Norwegian study except with the Negro male that's right now we have additional dat it says here OCA was done between 1891 and 1910 that means there was no treatment these men were Untreated they studied untreated men with syphilis yes that's right no treatment how could we do that the only way to get a pure result uncontaminated by drugs or other the medicine that's the beauty

of it the beauty of it for the beauty of it I'm a doctor for God's sakes and so are you our patients come before anything else you think I don't know that s I've been agonizing over this first Do no Harm we're not talking forever here 6 months maybe year to get the facts then we let the facts speak for themselves this study will make medical history it'll wipe out centuries of about the mechanism of disease being related to race if we do this right I tell you we will get the money for treatment Federal

money do you really believe that Sam this is more than just an opportunity to keep our project Alive think of it we will be federally financed we'll have momentum you know what it's like with Federal programs once they get started you can't stop them and you can build Tuskegee into a major Research Center and finally prove what negro nurses and doctors are capable of now think of what good you could do with a program like that we've already run out of medicine our patients aren't being treated anyway this study is the only chance we Have

and the men would be studied the same as at ASO exactly the same periodic examinations x-rays blood work we do a spinal tap to check for neurologic syphilis we give them the works the very best we have but this is the only way the results can be pure and what would the study be called exactly what it is study of untreated syphilis in the Negro male the tusi study of untreated syphus in the Negro Male fine this will bring us back to treatment Sam you'll see [Applause] sir what hey J you got the money sh

honey you know better than run in this wood that's all right Nur Parsons ask them for the results as quickly as possible thank you you got the money you can start back at work next week oh my M you actually got Those white people Dr Douglas will be back from Washington next week so I want you to be ready to help him with whatever he needs doctor I was born ready now about the program I can't wait to get started we'll be just studying them I've been studying I know about we've been treating them we'll

just be studying them no treat treatment not pafilis why well the study will bring The money for treatment about 6 months to a year well what do we tell them now I me what we do nothing well I don't understand we've been giving them the Mercury rubs and we just don't do that well we'll continue with the rubs but we'll be using linament instead of mercury they won't know the difference and with the additional money we'll give them aspirin and tonic and vitamins things they've never had Before I guarantee you they'll feel much much better

until they don't I don't think you heard me it won't be forever just 6 months or a year and they be first in line for the treatment I promise you all right young fella this is going to kill the germs that are making you sick you believe me well you better Believe me I'm the doctor right nurse Evers yes doctor the doctor knows doesn't he yes he does who cares oh yes so you better believe me when I tell you that everything's going to be all right right nurse right do what are you doing up

this time of Night remember that job I got offered in Birmingham Mr supervisor that was a whole year ago I'm writing to see if it's still open why you doing that going back to work right back here I don't know if I want to you don't know if you want to un what's the matter what's wrong it's a new program Papa they're not going to treat the men not for a while any at least 6 months and then they'll start back when They get more money so they're not going to treat the men Papa well

6 months ain't all that long jump down turn around 6 months and been going besides maybe the doctors ain't it you think you know better than the do I think this is different yes this is different you're not going to be cleaning them toilets anymore I seen I done took all the pride right out of it there are worse things in cleaning toilets Papa Unice each of us has got to bear his burden In the Heat of the day you got your burden I got mine we do what the Lord gives us to [Music] do

[Applause] w [Applause] how y'all doing [Music] all right now we here here we [Music] are hey Kayla you have a seat right here get some sh back all right I see the joint but what did you oh the band like to take this break it'll hot up in a minute I see you got trouble on your mind give it back you mind read Caleb don't take a whole lot of reading with you it's written all over your [Music] face I'm thinking about leaving here don't you want to know why or where or when even I

figur you want to tell me you tell me there's a supervisor job up in Birmingham I'm thinking about taking it's a step up the ladder for me cat out your tongue kayb that ain't your characteristic it's just that we done got used to having you back with us I was away for months and y'all did just fine but you was around we could count on you if need be no where to find [Music] you just don't understand huh I do I do Caleb I just some things you just can't keep on doing on account of

you might get twisted up in your mind [Music] thanks man going to drown without You [Music] hey here what we got now this here is the best shine in the county if this don't clean out bad blood nothing will hey here's to all of us we did good tonight right right Jill damn it [Music] Jill come on get it get it I you I see you come on come [Applause] [Music] [Music] come come on come on you it it oh I I knew I wasn't going anywhere I knew that night that I would never Leave

so we picked out both 412 men and started over this time around the government gave us all the money we needed first we'll do some baseline blood work to screen out contagion only the men with nothing but syphilis will be considered for this study then we'll follow up with spinal taps there may be a problem there a lot of men don't know what a spinal tap is and if they think it's not treatment they won't come in well they have to Come in we have to make them believe that nothing has changed there any ideas

what about you nurse ever you always seem to have the answer that would no doubt well nurse ever I'm relying on you if this program is to be a success we must all put our best foot forward back shots what's that tell them it's back shots they know about shots we've given Them injections if we call them back shots they'll think it's part of the treatment okay so we'll give them back [Music] shots I don't want you to worry Willie your cers is here to take care of you mhm it's very important that you don't

move especially once the needles enter the spinal canal it's part of your back don't okay you mustn't move then because The needle could damage the nerves that go into your legs oh no I can't do this see I need my legs M no M I need my legs to dance on I can't do this important for you to lay still H you be up and hopping around another time will it lay down come on it's going to be okay just don't move we right here with you come on relax okay clean you up a little

bit listen to that music yeah that is so sweet it must be H My you know Dr Douglas we got the best hon plan in the South right here in Alabama now you don't say mhm I get you hey how come that needle so big I ain't never seen no needle that color Miss ever that's a gold needle lay down here it's real gold yeah it's real gold ain't nothing too good for the color don't move Willie okay now take a deep [Music] breath go ch ch chil go CH Step very important to stay still

Willie [Applause] Willie all right we got it look D you did good come on bri come on it's over it's over you a brave man Johnson you champ you know that you're a real champ next guess I scared them all way guess you going to have to round them all up again I guess I [Music] do still wait [Music] my granddaddy was a slave and they buried them just like that now slaves are free and we are still burying them in bags how we going to bring them back nurse I know that scared and and

they already have enough pain in their lives but we have to get them to see that it's For their own good maybe if we trusted enough to tell the truth made a decision a wise decision now they will get treatment but first we have to get them back and how are we going to do that oh come on now you always have good ideas sometimes I don't money what about money give them each some money $50 bribe them back it's life insurance so they can be buried in a Coffin instead of a Feed Bag I

can always count on you can I the bar money got him back all right oh but Caleb I thought sure you going to move north like he said all this belong to your brother mhm owned it free and clear too so you still thinking about leaving here no I ain't thinking about leaving here no more can't leave until you finish your Treatment I ain't thinking about no treatment either your family is here I guess a think about my family nether think about you and me Caleb and Unice I like that name Unice I don't never

did yeah it's got a nice in it Unice you nice you nice you you real Nice wait now you told me I was all right wasn't nothing I couldn't do you are you didn't just tell me that cuz it's something you don't want me to know no it's not you look at Unice we can't keep teasing like we still in school now you don't want me I can handle it I want you k you know that I'm on a different Road as always ain't no road we can't take together woman I can't be with you

and have a lie In my heart what lie you come on now tell me what lie I can't you can't that's it that's all you got to say you can't you f to throw us away for something you can't tell Me K I care about you no when you care about somebody you out in the open with them now you you call it something else I don't know what else to call it sound like you calling it goodbye I'm sorry you sorry first you can't now you sorry you sorry cuz you Can't two words that's

all we are to you two words I can't tell you anymore yeah well I hope what you getting is better than what you giving up in the Years went on they had said that there would be treatment in 6 months but the 6 months became a year and the year became two and then six and you were just waiting and in all That time Miss ever you kept the secret you never told any of the men what was being done to them oh I I wanted to tell them I surely did I just wanted to

tell him straight out you you're not being treated but you have to stick with it so when the money come through you'll be the first in line but they said that the the men wouldn't understand and then they'd be lost to the program forever and none of us wanted that Senator so we uh we rubbed him with linament instead of the Mercury we gave him aspirins and and vitamins and everything I you know before you know it how time passes it was 10 years had passed and men just hadn't had treatment but um we kept

on studying them but miss ever isn't it true that as early as 1942 penicillin had become widely available as an effective treatment for Syphilis now wasn't this made known to you in the study yes we knew it but there were other medical concerns Senator you mix it with saline solution and then you give it by injection now tell the men that it um it stings actually it hurts like hell so maybe we should just go ahead and tell them the truth we do that once in a while looks like go well it's more precious than

gold it saves lives now I want to use this for the blood poisoning Case first then the pneumonia case and then the men when will our men get it doctor well we're still studying that but uh with syphilis there are potentially some very dangerous side effects but they'll get it you could mix this with distilled water but I prefer saline solution now there are a million units in each vial which means we'll have to work out the dosage for each case thank You excuse me at [Applause] please what Cale he a been to the clinic

are week oh you know Caleb now sometimes he just takes off some sometimes he going to be here he better be going on soon oh man wom with you my legs man my legs what's wrong with them oh man I'm sorry myself I didn't mean to haul out like that pis Okay tooll oh man just all of a sudden my legs just get away on me really we got the I'm scared I'm scared Miss I'm losing it no I'm losing it know I'm losing it don't say that Willie you the star attraction Willie you see

if you lose it we all going to lose no you okay it's going it's going no it is not come on will you can't be thinking like that let me work these legs now lookist what you do is you drink your quarter that L tea at the beginning of the month you be Just fine the devil fly stepping in no time at all yes he will he needs some new [Music] doctor what you doing in that costume ain't no costume it's a uniform you join the think it's my wall just like it his ass I

know what you thinking nurse you want to know how I got in with bad blood huh got me one of them penicillin shots get one of them in you that wassman test don't show nothing bad Army couldn't Wait to take a fine specimen like me you just going to get yourself killed at least I get killed for something that's what he need one them penicillin shots he's getting the best to care yeah yeah that's right and now from County Miss that's us you hear me nurse why you talking to what is wrong with you out

of ain't done standing between me and my ticket to The Cotton Club Kaya You coming with us I'm here [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] w [Applause] [Music] that's all right come on come [Applause] [Applause] [Music] on they have to have Penicillin I'm afraid we can't allow that why not how long do these men have to wait around first in line that's what you said that's what you told me that was the promise now there's a drug that can Help in penicillin cannot undo the damage that's already been done it could keep them

from getting worse it may also kill them penicilin some chronic syphilitics suffer a fatal allergic reaction to penicilin it's called the herxheimer reaction now that's been proven Washington's doing a study right now to determine the degree of risk they're giving it all over the county Caleb P's got it he's fine he's in a goddamn Army excuse my language Caleb was lucky yes penicilin is very effective in primary and secondary cases but for those who have entered the tertiary stage like the men in our study they cannot cure and it may also kill for those men

the study needs to go to the end point and we already have 10 years of data 10 years is not the end point what it is then we have to validate our facts through Autopsy or Evers that is the end point that will make it science not guess work we we're going to wait for them to die science is sometimes a hard task master our ERS you think I like not treating them no but we have to finish the study we have a chance to make history here gu [Music] tree Let me talk to [Music]

her once when I was doing my my residency back home up north I had to do two autopsies at the same time two young men lying next to one another one white one colored and I got the the hearts mixed up I didn't know which when and where and I remember holding on to those hearts for A long long time and examining every detail and then finally I just closed my eyes but a heart and each body and then just sew them up that simple forget about making history think about making change change in the

way people think pushing past the hate pushing past the idea of difference we're showing once and for All through the nobility of of scientific proof that when it comes to disease ironically we're all the same Dr Bros why do I feel like I'm being taken up over the hill how's that it's when somebody says you see that Hill there you just got to climb that hill and when you get up that hill you see there's another Hill Beyond even Higher and then they say see that's the top right up there so you climb again and

sure enough you get there and there's another Hill and by then you just come so far you fig you might as well go on the rest of the way that's been taken up over the hill Dr brus you come of your own free will I thought I was doing good you are you are doing good don't ever let go of that you're doing good for those men and you are Doing good for the Negro people why can't I look him in the face without crying we all want to cry I mean but we have to

be strong and you are a strong woman and I know that you'll do what you are called to do in N come on excuse me ni we're here to get this man a penic sh name uh Willie Willie Johnson hey help you how you doing why Not name's on the list what list is that ma'am C you study no peny allow how come I can't get a shot like Caleb got a shot I want I mean I come never mind will come on we just go somewhere else won't help they sent the list to everybody

don't worry about it going go down here I mean I ain't never done done not nobody but you got a place yeah I'm Going to carry you over there now will what you do want to give me the penicillin in here Caleb going to take me to a place where I could get it they say I'm on some kind of list oh really that shot could have killed you I'm still standing you're just lucky penicillin could be dangerous for him why me and not him you're different why I don't know nobody knows but we can't

take that chance listen to me Willie it could have exploded your Heart Caleb you ain't said nothing about my heart he don't know I know go head on with her Willie Caleb you said you was going to take me to get to bed Mind by what I said now on with her it's for your own good she going to see to it you don't get it no way c yeah I know the doctors know best boy they got a good one when they found you nurse I got a train to catch In don't get yourself

shot be lucky they let me near a gun they will it yeah D some down [Music] yeah bye Caleb he's a good man M ell yeah he is me something Ben is feeling poy he got trouble with his with his eyes and his legs Too now that only leaves me and Hardman for the Jillian a you think I'm still going to make it to the Cotton Club I'mma get me a new head and sit right up on the front row you telling me straight I'm going to see you through this Willie you hear me I

ain't left you yet and I'm not leaving you now we going to see this through [Music] together he you know I've been thinking H you know about the Cotton Club no what they don't allow no colors in the audience only on the stage I get me a chance sit up there on the stage I had heard that Caleb had been sent overseas but a long time went by with no word from him so I had started to think that he got himself Killed meanwhile I did my best but the men got steadily worse hey now

now the disease took their bodies and their minds now hman start thinking he could kill himself we're going to do this man he enough he enough we going to do this hman and now and now hman hey there what you doing out here miss Evis Look for you why is your family they gone to my mama they say I ain't no good for him like this you need to come in for your treatment you and them friends of yours no I got my own treatment right here miss everis see just burn these spider webs look

hard into the smoke still the eyesight too that sounds fine to me but it seemed like it'd be twice as powerful if you do That any treatment they work together kind of feeding one another you think so huh I know so twice as possible come on get on back with in there you done blowed enough smoke for the day as bad as hin was Ben was the first to fall hello Ben El us now don't tell me you don't Recognize old girlfriend how you doing I guess I'm dying Miss Elvis the way these people all

tip toing all around me all the time you ain't dead yet B you a tough customer I just feel all wo down all the time as well I got something to raise you right up it's from the United States government it's from me mhm you and all the other men it is a certificate of appreciation and 10 whole Dollars a dollar for every year you've been in the program they paying us for having the bad blood they showing the appreciation for what your boys done I ain't done nothing Miss Elis s get sick you know

I ain't had this much cash money since we got that $50 for the barrier I'm going blind too ain't that a treat a nothing more you can do for me Is it we tried everything we can I know you then a day go back we all know Miss El hey you see you didn't make us sick and you done all that you can to make us wh can't do no more than that miss you going to be okay Ben no no I hate Miss Elvis I appreciate you saying it Miss Alvis you wait till you

see that Coughing old B picked out for itself oh his red it's blue it's green it's yellow there a D in you going to be real proud you going to be so proud what are you doing now you look like I'm doing do you know what time it is you keeping me awake with all that chopping y say you can't sleep anyway well tonight I was sleeping Sleeping good Unice if you're mad about something don't take it out on the woods go after what you're mad about Ben dead Papa H's going insane I'm mad at

the world but you ain't going to fix it chopping wood all you going to do is keep me up all night supp there's nothing else you can do if you believe that you never become a nurse in the First place I'm going to give me some milk you want something be sure to warm it [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] Hello hodman what you got there Turing time you going to feel the paint off something I'm making me some new medicine yeah I hear turs is good for most BS but I got something new

penicillin for me thought you didn't want us taking that stuff well I think you need it now hotman I do think you need It what them ha You' been see I don't want bothering you you think they ain't there I think you need penicillin but now I got to warn you you can have a bad reaction chances are you want but you got to know that going in you think I should do it as long as you know what you're doing you know what you're doing Robin do you understand what I'm saying yeah yeah How

bad that bad reaction it's bad enough but I'm going to stay right here with you you okay after 12 hours you're free and clear all right just tell me what I got to [Music] do [Music] h h [Music] H first time I seen [Music] you [Music] [Music] God come on come on oh God come on good medic he's all gone now baby skipped on home told you come [Music] on come on stand up come on stand up come On come on come oh my God you some help some help hang on I killed you what

you might expect died from swallowing 32 o of tur time but there were certain other elements consistent with the herxheimer reaction what are the elements nothing you could prove out For sure but the penic could have killed him well there's no real proof just an indic a officially I'm calling it death by self-inflicted poisoning but you know what you did stealing medicine you go to jail for that giving that man that injection violated the protocol of the study and could have disgraced The Institute well I have to nurse ever I know that there are people

just waiting out there for us to fail hoping That we will fail so they can keep saying that Negroes are stupid incompetent good for nothing inferior but I'm willing to forget what you did the man was in a state of dementia it was just a matter of time you are their nurse Miss ever doctor we're sacrificing them for something I can't even stand up for I can't we are for reasons they will never understand for reasons that are greater than any one of them the greater good for the Race I am not going up over

that next time H oh yeah where you going to go they don't just let us go where it's nice and flat it's all Hills for us we either climb or we stay at the bottom that's the only choice they give us now you knew that when you became part of the program now if you want to leave that's your privilege but the men will miss you I stayed I didn't back out I went up over That next Hill and sure enough there's another Hill after that and another you see senator they still needed my help

I couldn't save them but there were things that I could do for them things that I owed them simple Comforts like knowing that somebody cared the war ended and we went right on taking care of him lying yes but taken care hey Miss H come on D tell her where you been you know where he been I know he Been up now he been back to The Cotton Club Cotton Club well I had to go to a meeting in New York so I thought I'd stop in and get Old Willie a report say he saw

Ruby blue ruby blue you saw him say he was scatting and and leaping and and doing the St [Music] dance right like that well sort of you mean sort of what was he doing that was that was Different well he was moving both feet in different r at at the same time kind of kind of like this that's all right so he's like two different people dancing on the same leg Yeah and that's nice that's new he I could use that what he get stairs around here I know yeah excuse me Doc that was nice

of you he shouldn't be doing stairs he might he Willie come do come on right come on Right here [Music] okay I just need time I understand I just need a little more time I I'll get it you know I understand you take a little rest come on hey D what what did you say he was dancing on different RS on different legs at the same time that's right we just about to have it there oh come on now D I ain't have it like that hey but you know you didn't Dance too bad oh

go on hey let me see you cut step go on cut one go ahead how was it you better need some new tires on your car there's a war on yeah I [Applause] heard I see you got yourself some Medals they ain't really medals just tell where I've been Africa sicy Italy you know they got colored folks in Africa you josing me oh call it all over you looking good Unice you look good too Caleb you back here for good now no Corina's kids growing enough to look after the place their own self now you

Just come back to see him I come back for [Music] you you know most folks think that uh the war is fighting and shooting carrying on really ain't nothing but a whole bunch of sitting around waiting a whole lot of thinking while I was over there see they say than it's good for the soul thought a lot about you and me and how we messed it up how I Let you get away you didn't let me I didn't it was a mistake was we all make mistake come on now Unice don't go skating around on

me now listen I don't don't want us to make the same mistake again cayb we haven't seen each other for 5 years I haven't heard from you in 5 years I'm back now that's all it counts I got a job up north soon as I get discharged steel making plan outside Chicago ton buddy of mine he got me in the union they got hospitals all around Chicago you could get a job they always need nurses have a real nice life give me a minute here I'll say one thing for you k you know how to

lay it on a girl here feel this I got the palpitations you want to sit down I can't What you can't you still saying that to me I can't leave here you could stay no I can't not even for you my life here is over un I got to go somewhere where I got a chance now I want you to come with me how long's it been now 10 12 years you done all you could Unice nobody could do more than what you've done you've been There for them day and night the program's not finished

there's a lot of work what more can you do I can be here for them and watch them die is that it hold their hands till they go blind crippler crazy put your hat on for funerals you remember what you said once you said that the men were drowning they dying with you ain't no more Miss ever boys Miss ever boys is through ain't nothing holding you here Woman you just don't know what it's like what I got to know I know I want you with me I know you want to be with [Music] me

known it all these years Unice we've been foolish to stay apart why cuz your dad's looking all he's going to see is that his little girls a grown [Music] Woman why'd you prove k [Music] that you want me I have always wanted you then come north with me and let's make a life together I owe him kayb you paid already you don't owe I could never PID him [Music] enough we missed something real good didn't we all right let's go see what time my train is [Music] leaving [Music] Caleb I'm so happy you didn't get

yourself killed M how come we didn't get it Unice P you're part of a government study that ain't no answer no the study was the proof that the the doctors the needed the the doctors are dedicated and they Know what's best best was [Music] Penicillin go after a me go on what are you hanging around here for taking care of an old man there's no life for you you're still a young woman and don't tell me you staying back here because you're a nurse they got nursing up north Too you got a chance here Unice

he's a good man all those medals on his chest and you still s for I could see you leave me alone Papa I ain't left you alone since you was a baby I I expect me to start now you got a lot of life left Unice don't let it all get away I can't Pap you can I can't I can't I cannot you always tell me to do what's right don't you well what I'm doing is Right it's it's got to be right Papa it was right it had to be right men kept dying but

they would have died anyway wouldn't they I I prepared a report Every Spring on the number of them remaining 412 in 1946 36 10 years later and then last year when the papers got a hold to the story it was 127 left of the 412 that we started with 127 were left and of Miss 's boys it was just two this Willie and um Caleb I had heard that he got the job up north he never married so that brings us to Washington DC I guess none of us ended up where we thought we would

I simply don't understand Miss Ever much as we may appreciate your personal sacrifice the fact remains that patients with a potentially fatal disease went untreated when treatment was available it was for the greater good who good Miss Evers who has benefited we provve that there's no difference between how blacks and whites respond to cfus the benefit of that if they were white M ever if they were white would these men have been treated As they were you should know better than anyone yes I do Senator if they had been white your Public Health Service would

never have agreed to to do this study in the first place they wouldn't have dead if they had been white you congressmen wouldn't have voted every year for 40 years if they had been white somebody would have said something before now because everybody knew what was going on it was no secret but because they were black nobody cared because they were Black you the US government thought that They Were Expendable now you're trying to push the blame off on me and the fine doctors who did the best we could for the choice you gave us

to make whether to leave those men and neglect or to give him the best care that was within our power to give nursing them men was my life Mis we're not trying to blame you miss heris we understand you are acting under orders orders from Dr Brodus and uh the Others I went up that hill on my own I can carry the weight of the burden by myself but miss Evers what in the world did you think you were doing honoring my oath as an n Senator I love those men they were susceptible to kindness

and I gave them all that I [Music] had oh oh sure could dance DEET faster than the [Music] M go come on this is [Music] over [Music] Dan St just like M [Music] blue [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh show me [Music] Lord if there's a way show we see tomorrow and I can't hide Sorrow if there's a way out won't you show me [Music] there's a heaven would you take me long oh there's a heaven don't forsake me Lord there's no place is to one you know Everything I good if there's a heaven would

just still take me