1935: Tuberculosis vaccine tested on American Indians

American Indians enroll in an experimental study to determine the effectiveness of a tuberculosis vaccine developed 14 years earlier in France. More than 3,000 receive a single dose of the Bacille Calmette Guérin (BCG) vaccine; others receive placebos. The study is controversial because no one knows whether the vaccine will protect against TB.

In 2004, a study of medical and death records of the American Indians who received the Bacille Calmette Guérin vaccine in the 1930s reveals what researchers believe is evidence of protection against TB for 60 years from a single dose.

Theme

Epidemics

Region

Arctic, California, Great Basin, Great Plains, Northeast, Northwest Coast, Plateau, Southeast, Southwest, Subarctic