SPRING 2024
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ONLINE MUSEUM
Students (all members of The University of Texas at San Antonio Honors College) put a tremendous amount of work and research into this exhibit. All topics were gathered in the context of the course, Monstrous Medicine: Medical Experimentation in U.S. Historical Contexts.
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Minor: Pre-Medicine and Cybersecurity
Class of 2024
ADREANA FONTUS
Contributed:
Koko and StonyBrook University, Chat GPT and medical diagnosis, the Commercialization of mental health and pharmaceuticals.
Edited:
1st Antipsychotic, Bloodletting, and the First Birth Control.
I feel this history is important not only for future healthcare professionals but for the people in this country to know and understand the background of what transpired to be where we are in advancements in the medical field.
I plan to matriculate into medical school in 2026 after taking the necessary time to gain more clinical and industry experience.
ALEXANDRA RODRIGUEZ VEGA
Major: Neuroscience
Concentration: Pre-Medical
Class of 2026
Contributed: Beagle Trials: Pesticide Testing on Beagles, Breuning’s Legacy: Neuroleptic Development and Impact, The Tragic Lobotomy of Rosemary Kennedy, and Vibrators: The Cure for Hysteria
Edited: Phrenology, Civil War Amputations, Ether as Anesthesia, Yellow Fever Self Experimentation
The history of unethical medical experimentation is critical to understanding because it highlights the serious ethical violations committed in the pursuit of scientific knowledge, serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of strong protections and informed consent in human research, and has shaped modern ethical guidelines and regulations governing medical experimentation.
I plan to continue my studies in medical school, pursuing neurosurgery. I want to be the voice others might not have.
Major: Medical Humanities
Class of 2026
AUTUMN POND
Contributed: “Black Pain Isn’t Real Pain", Worcester State Hospital’s Birth Control Pill Trials, Mercury as a Cure for Syphilis, and Fetal Cell Lines Used in COVID-19 Vaccine
Edited: Aids in Africa (AZT)... Budget Before Treatment, From Graveyard to Cadaver Lab-Grave Robbing of African American Bodies, Innocent Skulls & Malicious Ideas, and Ellis Island Immigrants
Learning the history of unethical medical practices allows us to develop a different perspective of the importance of making ethical decisions in a provider-patient relationship.
I plan to pursue a career in dentistry to help reduce the limited access to dental care in the underserved communities of Texas.
EBERARDO TREJO
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor: Computer Science
Class of 2025
Contributed: Neuralink and BioGlue, Infant Blood Consent, Birth Defects: Thalidomide, Ketamine Therapy
Edited: Teratology, Bullet Probes, 1983 Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act, Hela Cell Experiments
Understanding the history of Medicine and Unethical Experimentation is vital because it provides an unseen lens into the growth and development of medicine. By spreading awareness of this history, we give a voice to those who were unethically experimented on, fostering a better understanding of how medicine has evolved. This knowledge helps us avoid repeating past mistakes and promotes ethical practices in medical research and treatment.
I plan to create an organization to promote diversity in engineering by offering mentorship, workshops, and networking events for aspiring engineers of color, while also advocating for policy changes to support diversity in the field.
Major: Medical Humanities
Class of 2026
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ELENA GORLICK
Contributed: Operation Acoustic Kitty, UNOS Transplant Monopoly: Balancing Efficiency & Equity, Truth Serum Trials: 1943, Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital
Edited: Kitten Cannibalism, Electroshock Therapy in Children, Stanford Prison Experiment: Psychological and Physical Abuse, Central Indiana Hospital
Recognizing the less favorable aspects of history, particularly regarding medical experimentation, is crucial as it has significantly impacted today's healthcare landscape.
I aspire to become a Physician Assistant, dedicating myself to engaging in learning about the history behind my profession.
ELLEN CLEATON
Major: Anthropology
Minor: Linguistics
Class of 2025
Contributed: Trepanation, Salem - Diversity, Patient Outcome - Queerness as 'social contagion" - Autism 'treatment'
Edited: Transgender Conversion Therapy - One Radioactive Test and Its Consequences - Electroshock Therapy Used to Treat "Involuntary Melancholia" - Reclaiming Manhood
I feel as if this history is important to learn and incorporate in our future work because it sets a foundation for how to treat people. There is a tendency in medicine to separate the patient and the physician, and perceive the physician as dominant and the patient as obedient. In their submissive state, it is also too terribly easy to perceive the patient as less than deserving, or less than human when our initial goal was to treat the patient, and not only illness.
For the future, I wish to become a medical anthropologist, working on the ground in clinics and communities to look at the relationship with people, illness, and medicine.
Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry
Class of 2025
JOSE SOLIS BENAVIDES
Contributed: Xenotransplantation, Using Animal Organs for Human Transplant, Nanomedicine, Future Alternative Medicine for Cancer? The Consequences of Bariatric Surgery, and Manipulation of Data for MMR Vaccine Test.
Edited: Plutonium Injections in The Manhattan Project, Designer Baby, The Los Angeles Measles Vaccine Study, and The Boiling Water Treatment.
Learning about the history of medical experiments allows people to see and know about the untold stories of people who form part of the experimentation, and it also allows people to understand the foundation and the constant evolution of the medical field.
I plan to attend medical school and become a cardiologist.
LUIS GARCIA
Major: Anthropology
Minor: History
Class of 2025
Contributed: The Gay Sickness: Homosexuality and its Categorization as a Mental Illness by the APA, Intersex Non-Consensual Surgeries, The Case of David Reimer, and Alexander Neumeister NYU Post-Traumatic Stress Studies.
Edited: Chemical Testing On Animals, Fearing the Furry, Operation Paperclip, Gene Therapy Experimentation
Learning about medical history is important because of how unethical the origins of many medical procedures are. There are many medical treatments that started as unethical experimentation, which of course leads to people being victims of said experimentation. So much of the medical procedures that are used today come at the cost of people's well being, and the least that we as people can do is have an understanding of how these treatments originated and hear the stories of the people who were victimized and dehumanized in the creation of these procedures.
I plan to further my education and become a history educator and inspire others to become more interested in the subject.
Major: Political Science
Class of 2024
LUKE DOLMAN
Contributed: Asperger’s Syndrome and Fascism, The US-Mexico Border and the Final Solution, Subjects in Uniform, and An Indentured Window into the Stomach
Edited: Operation “Green Run” Radioactive Fallout, Lobotomy Experimentation To Cure The "Mentally Ill", “Cutting”-Edge Technology, Tetanus in Infants
Exploring the wrongs of the past allows us to be critical of the institutions, values and practices we have today, many of which are descendants from those very wrongs. Self-reflection can be conducted, and improvements can be made going forward.
I plan on taking a Master’s in either History or Political Science, and then going to Law School. I aim to practice labor law and protect workers’ rights in the future.
MADELINE CORNETT
Major: Multidisciplinary Studies
Class of 2026
Contributed: Mary Rafferty and Neurological Stimulation, Monkeys and Addiction Research, Mice As Early Pregnancy Tests, Horseshoe Crabs Harvesting, Regulations, And Updates
Edited: Horseshoe Crabs & Vaccine Research, Female Circumcision (Clitorectomy), Operation Big Itch, Breast Enlargement Pumps
I believe that understanding the origins of modern medical practices and/or procedures is essential in order to perceive the depths of what is considered ethical medicine.
I plan to continue my education and strive for a career in forensic anthropology or forensic psychology.
Major: Biology
Class of 2025
MERCEDES BARRIENTES
Contributed: The Vaccination of Smallpox Through Vulnerable Carriers, The Advancement and Unequal Distribution of Medical Robots, Hiawatha Asylum for Insane Indians, and Homeless Participation in Drug Trials
Edited: Sterilization of Black Women, Central Indiana Hospital, Operation Top Hat, Designer Baby
I think this history is important as it gives an insight to what it took to receive the healthcare we have today, and how to be better in future medical advancements.
I am determined to pursue a career in emergency medicine, either as an emergency room doctor or a trauma surgeon.
MIA MIRELES
Major: Psychology
Minor: Neuroscience
Class of 2024
Contributed: HIV/AIDS neglect in the 1980s, medical medium, cigarettes for asthma, milk transfusions
Edited: Monster study, Curing the homosexual population with “Medicine”, An unhealthy consumption, A questionable spraying
This history is important because Americans need to remember those people who were forgotten when medical advancements were happening and to always have a heart of curiosity and compassion for all. If this history is not remembered, then the advancements made in medical history over the years were in vain. The only way we can try to make this situation as right as possible is to bring awareness to the past, so it doesn’t happen again in the future.
My future plans are to obtain a masters in social work and work with youth in underserved communities. I want to bring up high school graduation rates in the poorest zip codes of SA by providing support and resources to students and their families.