Approximately 300 inmates of Philadelphia’s Holmesburg Prison were exposed to toxic and infected materials in experiments led by the University of Pennsylvania’s Dr. Albert Kligman. The city of Philadelphia has issued a formal apology but has not issued compensation to the survivors and their families. Dr. Rashad Richey and Jeff Wiggins discuss Indisputable. Tell us what you think in the comments below.
“The city of Philadelphia has issued an apology for two decades of unethical experimentation on Black inmates in the mid-20th century. With the consent of the prison system, one of the top research institutions in America exposed prisoners of color to synthetic and carcinogenic agents for the purpose of their private study. On Thursday, Oct. 6, the Mayor’s Office of Communications released the statement, sharing that between the 1950s to the 1970s, dermatological, biochemical, and pharmaceutical experiments that exposed approximately 300 inmates to pharmaceuticals, viruses, fungus, asbestos, LSD, and even dioxin, a component of Agent Orange, was conducted by the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia’s Holmesburg Prison by researcher Dr. Albert Kligman, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.”
