GUATEMALA EXPERIMENTS 1946-1948 
II 
They were: 
■ Dr. David E. Price, U.S. PHS Venereal Disease Division; 
■ Dr. Harry Eagle, U.S. PHS Hospital in Baltimore and the 
Venereal Disease Research Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University; 
■ Dr. John R. Heller, chief of the PHS Venereal Disease Division and 
Dr. Van Slyke’s most recent former supervisor; 
■ Dr. John F. Mahoney, who continued to direct the VRDL 
in Staten Island; 211 
■ Dr. Lowell J. Reed, Johns Hopkins University; 
■ Dr. John H. Stokes, University of Pennsylvania; 
■ Dr. Harry C. Solomon, Harvard University; 
■ Dr. Thomas B. Turner, Johns Hopkins University; 
■ Major L.N. Altshuler, U.S. Army; 
• Cdr. George W. Mast, U.S. Navy; and 
■ Dr. Bascom Johnson, Veterans Administration. 212 
The study section approved the proposal for “the Guatemala study dealing 
with the experimental transmission of syphilis to human volunteers and 
improved methods of prophylaxis,” 213 and recommended it to the NAHC 
for funding. 214 On March 8-9, 1946, PHS Deputy Surgeon General Warren 
Draper presided over the NAHC meeting that recommended funding the 
proposal. 215 Funded shortly thereafter as “Research Grant No. 65 (RG-65)” 
for “a grant to the Pan American Sanitary Bureau for investigation into 
venereal disease to be held in Guatemala,” the funding recommendation 
of $110,450 “was different from others in that funds were provided by the 
Venereal Disease Division with mechanics of processing to be handled by 
the [NIH] Research Grants Office.” 216 In other words, the funding for this 
research came not from general NIH Research Grants Office monies but 
specifically from VDRL funds. 217 
Following the NAHC meeting, Surgeon General Thomas Parran approved 
the grant, and the funds were transferred to the PASB, which started work 
in Guatemala in April 1946 (see Table 3). 218 Construction began on a new 
“Venereal Disease Research Laboratory” to support the work. 219 Dr. Cutler 
arrived in August 1946. 220 Dr. Joseph Spoto, Assistant Chief of the Venereal 
Disease Division, also on assignment to PASB for research, 221 met him on 
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