Peter Buxtun, the U.S. government whistleblower who exposed the Tuskegee syphilis study, has died at 86. Starting in 1966, Buxtun started sounding the alarm when he learned about the ongoing experiment as a federal public health employee. The government-led study, which started in 1932, observed 400 Black men in rural Alabama who had syphilis but were denied antibiotic treatment so scientists could observe the disease’s progression. It wasn’t until 1972 that the study came into full view of the public and Congress, when AP reporter Edith Lederer published a story about the case using information passed on to her by Buxtun.
Peter Buxtun, Whistleblower Who Exposed the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, Dies at 86
HeadlineJul 16, 2024