The injection that killed Berta and hid a thousand victims
From Historical Medicine · 14:24
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A U.S. physician injects live syphilis into Berta at Guatemala City’s psychiatric hospital without consent - how did that expose them?The injection that killed Berta and hid a thousand victimsIn this episode, we follow the archival trail that documents how U.S. public health researchers carried out deliberate infection experiments in Guatemala after World War II. The episode traces the institutions, funding, and decisions that made one thousand three hundred and eight people into research subjects without their consent, asking who bears responsibility.Person: BertaDate: February 1948 (injection); August 27, 1948 (death)Location: Asilo de Alienados, Guatemala CityResearch lead: John Charles CutlerFunding source: National Institutes of Health via Pan American Sanitary Bureau- A U.S. Public Health Service physician injected live syphilis bacteria into Berta at the psychiatric hospital without her consent.- Files show one thousand three hundred and eight people were enrolled in deliberate infection experiments across prisons, a military garrison, and the psychiatric hospital.- John C. Cutler kept detailed records of methods, subject populations, infection outcomes, and correspondence that survived for decades.- Funding flowed from NIH through the Pan American Sanitary Bureau; initial funds for prison studies were quietly redirected when research expanded to the asylum.- U.S. Surgeon General Thomas Parran acknowledged the experiments’ geographic advantage, noting explicitly they could not be done in the United States.Tired of ads? Listen to this podcast and 200+ more ad-free on OBOMEDIA.Try it free for 7 days, cancel anytime: https://obomedia.com/en/gratis?ref=desc-7317668© 2026 Created by an independent creator of the OBOMEDIA Network. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the property of their respective creator, who is solely responsible for them, and are distributed by the OBOMEDIA Network on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without the creator's prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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