Stateville Penitentiary Malaria Study
Encyclopedia
The Stateville Penitentiary malaria study was a controlled study of the effects of malaria
on the prisoners of Stateville Penitentiary
near Joliet, Illinois
in the 1940s. The study was conducted by the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago
in conjunction with the United States Army
and the State Department. The study is notable for its impacts on the Nuremberg Medical Trial
and subsequent medical experimentation on prisoners.
during World War II
, malaria and other tropical diseases hindered their efforts. The need for human subjects to test new antimalarial drug
s was met by taking the research into the prison system.
group of compounds. The study marked the first human test of the antimalarial drug
primaquine
. For the experiment, doctors from the University of Chicago bred Anopheles quadrimaculatus mosquito
es. The mosquitoes were infected with a plasmodium vivax
malaria strain that was isolated from a military patient.
In the study, each patient received bites from 10 infected mosquitoes. 441 inmates volunteered for the study. Infamous murderer Nathan Leopold
participated in the study and later wrote about his experiences in his autobiography, Life Plus 99 Years. Over the course of the experiments, one prisoner died, suffering a heart attack after several bouts of fever. The researchers insisted that the death was unrelated to their research. The experiments gained much media attention and praise. Malaria research continued at Stateville Penitentiary for 29 years. The June 4, 1945 issue of Life magazine contained an article about this research.
, defense attorneys argued that, ethically, there was no difference between research conducted in American prisons and the experiments
that took place in Nazi concentration camps. The malaria study was specifically mentioned. Andrew Conway Ivy
, medical researcher and vice president of the University of Illinois
, served as a witness and consultant for the prosecution. Ivy encouraged Illinois Governor Dwight H. Green
to form a committee to analyze the ethics of prison research. Green appointed Ivy to be chair of the committee and, though the committee never met, it produced the Green report
. The report justified the experimentation on the Stateville prisoners. Ivy's testimony at the Medical Trial asserted that the Stateville malaria research was "an example of human experiments which were ideal because of their conformity [with the highest ethical standards of human experimentation]." The trial resulted in the formation of the Nuremberg Code
, a set of principles concerning human experimentation. The code includes principles such as informed consent
and the absence of coercion.
and opened the door for legal, ethical experimentation on prisoners in the United States. The medical community in the United States largely regarded the Nuremberg Code to be applicable to war criminals and not to the practices of U.S. researchers.
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
on the prisoners of Stateville Penitentiary
Stateville Correctional Center
Stateville Correctional Center is a maximum security state prison for men in Crest Hill, Illinois, USA.-History:Opened in 1925, Stateville was built to accommodate 1,506 inmates. Parts of the prison were designed according to the panopticon concept proposed by the British philosopher and prison...
near Joliet, Illinois
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...
in the 1940s. The study was conducted by the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in conjunction with the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and the State Department. The study is notable for its impacts on the Nuremberg Medical Trial
Doctors' Trial
The Doctors' Trial was the first of 12 trials for war crimes that the United States authorities held in their occupation zone in Nuremberg, Germany after the end of World War II. These trials were held before U.S...
and subsequent medical experimentation on prisoners.
Malaria
As the United States military fought battles in the Pacific theaterPacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, malaria and other tropical diseases hindered their efforts. The need for human subjects to test new antimalarial drug
Antimalarial drug
Antimalarial medications, also known as antimalarials, are designed to prevent or cure malaria. Such drugs may be used for some or all of the following:* Treatment of malaria in individuals with suspected or confirmed infection...
s was met by taking the research into the prison system.
Malaria Research Project
The Malaria Research Project was primarily conducted on a floor of the prison hospital in the Stateville Penitentiary. The study aimed to understand the effect of various antimalarial drugs on relapses of malaria, primarily from the 8-aminoquinoline8-Aminoquinoline
8-Aminoquinoline is a form of aminoquinoline with an amine at the 8-position of quinoline.The 8-aminoquinoline family of drugs contains three members, primaquine, tafenoquine and pamaquine and are used in the treatment of malaria...
group of compounds. The study marked the first human test of the antimalarial drug
Antimalarial drug
Antimalarial medications, also known as antimalarials, are designed to prevent or cure malaria. Such drugs may be used for some or all of the following:* Treatment of malaria in individuals with suspected or confirmed infection...
primaquine
Primaquine
Primaquine is a medication used in the treatment of malaria and Pneumocystis pneumonia. It is a member of the 8-aminoquinoline group of drugs that includes tafenoquine and pamaquine.-Radical cure:...
. For the experiment, doctors from the University of Chicago bred Anopheles quadrimaculatus mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
es. The mosquitoes were infected with a plasmodium vivax
Plasmodium vivax
Plasmodium vivax is a protozoal parasite and a human pathogen. The most frequent and widely distributed cause of recurring malaria, P. vivax is one of the four species of malarial parasite that commonly infect humans. It is less virulent than Plasmodium falciparum, which is the deadliest of the...
malaria strain that was isolated from a military patient.
In the study, each patient received bites from 10 infected mosquitoes. 441 inmates volunteered for the study. Infamous murderer Nathan Leopold
Leopold and Loeb
Nathan Freudenthal Leopold, Jr. and Richard Albert Loeb , more commonly known as "Leopold and Loeb", were two wealthy University of Michigan alumni and University of Chicago students who murdered 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks in 1924 and were sentenced to life imprisonment.The duo were...
participated in the study and later wrote about his experiences in his autobiography, Life Plus 99 Years. Over the course of the experiments, one prisoner died, suffering a heart attack after several bouts of fever. The researchers insisted that the death was unrelated to their research. The experiments gained much media attention and praise. Malaria research continued at Stateville Penitentiary for 29 years. The June 4, 1945 issue of Life magazine contained an article about this research.
Nuremberg medical trial
In 1946, during the Nuremberg Medical TrialDoctors' Trial
The Doctors' Trial was the first of 12 trials for war crimes that the United States authorities held in their occupation zone in Nuremberg, Germany after the end of World War II. These trials were held before U.S...
, defense attorneys argued that, ethically, there was no difference between research conducted in American prisons and the experiments
Nazi human experimentation
Nazi human experimentation was a series of medical experiments on large numbers of prisoners by the Nazi German regime in its concentration camps mainly in the early 1940s, during World War II and the Holocaust. Prisoners were coerced into participating: they did not willingly volunteer and there...
that took place in Nazi concentration camps. The malaria study was specifically mentioned. Andrew Conway Ivy
Andrew Conway Ivy
Andrew Conway Ivy was appointed by the American Medical Association as its representative at the 1946 Nuremberg Medical Trial for Nazi doctors.Ivy grew up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. His father was a science professor and his mother was a teacher...
, medical researcher and vice president of the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
, served as a witness and consultant for the prosecution. Ivy encouraged Illinois Governor Dwight H. Green
Dwight H. Green
Dwight Herbert Green was the 30th Governor of the US state of Illinois, serving from 1941 to 1949.- From childhood to early adulthood :...
to form a committee to analyze the ethics of prison research. Green appointed Ivy to be chair of the committee and, though the committee never met, it produced the Green report
Green report
The Green report was a report written by Andrew Conway Ivy, a medical researcher and vice president of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Ivy was in charge of the medical school and its hospitals. The report justified testing malaria vaccines on Stateville Prison, Joliet, Illinois prisoners in...
. The report justified the experimentation on the Stateville prisoners. Ivy's testimony at the Medical Trial asserted that the Stateville malaria research was "an example of human experiments which were ideal because of their conformity [with the highest ethical standards of human experimentation]." The trial resulted in the formation of the Nuremberg Code
Nuremberg Code
The Nuremberg Code is a set of research ethics principles for human experimentation set as a result of the Subsequent Nuremberg Trials at the end of the Second World War.-Background:...
, a set of principles concerning human experimentation. The code includes principles such as informed consent
Informed consent
Informed consent is a phrase often used in law to indicate that the consent a person gives meets certain minimum standards. As a literal matter, in the absence of fraud, it is redundant. An informed consent can be said to have been given based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the...
and the absence of coercion.
Effect on prisoner experimentation
Public opposition to medical experimentation on prisoners was scant during the war. The Green Report was published in the Journal of the American Medical AssociationJournal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association is a weekly, peer-reviewed, medical journal, published by the American Medical Association. Beginning in July 2011, the editor in chief will be Howard C. Bauchner, vice chairman of pediatrics at Boston University’s School of Medicine, replacing ...
and opened the door for legal, ethical experimentation on prisoners in the United States. The medical community in the United States largely regarded the Nuremberg Code to be applicable to war criminals and not to the practices of U.S. researchers.
See also
- Human experimentation in the United StatesHuman experimentation in the United StatesThere have been numerous experiments performed on human test subjects in the United States that have been considered unethical, and were often performed illegally, without the knowledge, consent, or informed consent of the test subjects....
- Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments
- Research Involving Prisoners