The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment: What Do We Learn from Alsan and Wanamaker?

The Tuskegee Experiment was unethical and arguably racially motivated. It was sanctioned by the federal government. It is plausible that such a despicable activity sponsored and conducted under the auspices of the federal government could have created mistrust of the medical profession among Black people. The role of mistrust of medical providers by Black people is important, not only from a historical perspective, but also because it may help explain large and persistent disparities in health by race. In a recent article in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, Marcella Alsan and Marianne Wanamaker present results from an empirical analysis that purports to show a causal link between the Tuskegee Experiment and Black male mortality. I reassess the foundation of the Alsan and Wanamaker hypothesis and the empirical evidence on the research question. I conclude that the Alsan and Wanamaker analysis was based on unsupported theoretical assumptions and faulty empirical methods. My interrogation of the data shows that their article does not provide credible evidence supporting the hypothesis that the Tuskegee Experiment caused an increase in Black male mortality.