ETHICALLY IMPOSSIBLE” STD Research in Guatemala from 1946-1948 
When Dr. Cutler highlighted the New York Times report on Dr. Eagle’s work 
to Dr. Mahoney, he noted that it “went on to speculate on the method of 
proving his hypothesis in humans and said, ‘that such work could not ethi- 
cally be carried out’ (as I remember the quotation). Then in the Journal of 
the American Medical Association appeared a notice about the grant to the 
Pan American Sanitary Bureau for the study of syphilis.” 589 Knowing that 
Kaempffert had just written that the Guatemala protocol was “ethically 
impossible,” Dr. Cutler confided to Dr. Mahoney that: 
“It is becoming just as clear to us as it appears to be to you that it 
would not be advisable to have too many people concerned with 
this work in order to keep down talk and premature writing. I 
hope that it would be possible to keep the work strictly in your 
hands without necessity for outside advisors or workers other than 
those who fit into your program and who can be trusted not to 
talk. We are just a little bit concerned about the possibility of 
having anything said about our program that would adversely 
affect its continuation.” 590 
Also in May of 1947, Dr. Mahoney told Dr. 
Cutler that he had “gathered] the impres- 
sion” that Dr. John Heller, who had joined 
Drs. Mahoney and Van Slyke in touring 
the Guatemala work the previous month, 
“would feel considerably more secure if we 
were to set up an advisory group of leading 
figures in the world of science to serve as a 
background for the study.” 591 Dr. Mahoney 
said “I have never been a believer in this 
type of thing and I do not think that an 
advisory committee would help us greatly,” 
but he admitted that they “might have to 
defer to political expediency.” 592 Dr. Mahoney went on to say, “[tjhere are 
several men whom I would not mind being associated with the work,” but 
that there were “several other leading figures” that he thought “would be a 
distinct detriment.” 593 
John R. Heller 
From the National Library of Medicine 
76 
