Based on the events of the movie, I do find Miss Evers’ pledge of loyalty to ‘the physician in his work’ at odds with her pledge ‘to devote myself to the welfare of those patients committed to my care.?’ The words in the oath said by Nurse Evers serves as justification for participating in medical research that involved withholding available treatment as well as lack of voluntary informed consent by patients. Miss Evers is troubled and concerned when she returns to the clinic to participate in the research study. The direction of the research has changed, arsenic injections and mercury backrubs were replaced with placebo of heat liquid. The syphilis is described as “bad blood” and spinal taps are explained as “backshot” treatment. The information on syphilis was not shared and although, she feels uncomfortable with the withholding of treatment, she still continues her engagement in the research study.
Miss Evers justifies by not telling the men who are participating in the study is because of their lack of education and fear. Caleb and Miss Evers establish a romantic relationship in the film, where she also withholds information from him. When Caleb asks for a book to explain syphilis, she is very reluctant to give it to him. A few months later, Caleb joins the army and receives penicillin to cure his syphilis. When he returns he explains to others, that there’s a cure. This is when Miss Evers starts to question if she wants to continue the study of untreated syphilis. However, Miss Evers then learns penicillin injections could be deadly to certain participants because of their advanced stage of syphilis. The men trusted Miss Evers, so it was easy for her to convince the men that the medical care was helping with their disease. Miss Evers trusted Dr. Douglas and thought that with time, the completion of study would serve as a major scientific achievement.
Dr. Brodus, however, shared with Miss Evers by continuing, it would prove that race was not a factor with cause and treatment. Also by continuing, it would prove that Tuskegee (which represent black researchers ) could conduct scientific research. Even with the influence of Dr. Douglas and Dr. Brodus, it still drove Nurse Evers to steal penicillin to try and save one of her men developing a mental disorder and blindness. Nurse Evers did not “abstain from knowingly administering any harmful medicine” but she did show loyalty to aid the physician and devote herself to the welfare of her patients. She was at odds to how much she cared about her men, her role as a nurse, and the obligation she had to the physicians she served.
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