Researchers lied to 600 Black men, telling them they were being treated for 'bad blood' while actually tracking how syphilis destroys the body.

In 1932, the U.S. government started a study in Alabama. They recruited poor Black sharecroppers. They promised free meals and doctor visits. But they hid the truth. They never told 399 of the men they had syphilis. Instead, they used the vague term 'bad blood' to cover it up. They wanted to see what the disease would do to their bodies over time, all the way to death.