GUATEMALA EXPERIMENTS 1946-1948 
II 
to penetrate the intact mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal system to 
clarify “the problem of oral contagion through kissing and oro-genital sexual 
contacts.” 521 To test this question: “[a] mixture of testicular tissue and super- 
natant fluid was well mixed. One cc. of this mixture was placed in a small 
beaker to which was added 20 ccs of distilled water. The patient was given the 
dose to swallow. . .”^ 22 
The researchers also sought to determine the effectiveness of the “blood-spinal- 
fluid barrier” in preventing Treponema pallidum “between the systems” 523 and 
“directly into the central nervous system,” 524 and to do so, they performed 
“hundreds” of cisternal punctures for diagnostic purposes, and several for 
intentional exposure. 525 According to Dr. Cutler in 1955, “deteriorated and 
debilitated epileptics” were given intracisternal inoculation as: 
“it was hoped that by shock of inoculation it might be possible to 
influence favorably their epilepsy. This experiment was undertaken 
at the expressed desire of the clinical director [Carlos Salvado] in 
hopes that he might be able to do something for these women who 
had been completely resistant to all types of anticonvulsive therapy. 
All of these were so uncontrollable that they had inflicted serious 
injuries upon themselves such as burns leading to contractures, 
blindness, wounds, etc., as a result of the loss of consciousness and 
motor activity due to epileptic attacks.” 526 
To accomplish the intentional exposure experiment: 
“A cisternal puncture was made and about 10 ccs. of spinal fluid was 
removed. The syringe was withdrawn from the spinal needle, and 
the syringe containing the emulsion introduced 0.1 cc of emulsion. 
Some of the patients fluid was used (about 5 ccs.) to wash the spinal 
needle to ensure a complete dose of the spirochetes.” 527 
Cisternal puncture, which involves the withdrawal of cerebral spinal fluid 
from the back of the skull, is particularly dangerous because of its proximity 
to the brain stem. 528 It would have been unclear at the time what types of 
reactions would occur from injection of foreign material, let alone infectious 
material, into the cerebral spinal fluid. Dr. Cutler was at least aware of some 
risk; he specifically mentioned in his 1955 report that even with all of the 
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