Miss Evers' Boys

Work:: Miss Evers' Boys (S4236)

Written in 1989 this play investigates the true story of the Tuskegee Study of Syphilis in the Untreated Negro Male. Miss Ever's Boys is the true story of four poor African American men who took part in the highly controversial Tuskegge Study. A tale rick with humour and pathos, Miss Evers' Boys charts the relationship between the men and their beloved nurse, Miss Evers, who was employed by the government to ensure that over 300 men stayed as volunteers in a study which ultimately lead to pain and suffering. The men all suffered from 'bad blood' or syphilis and believed they were receiving free treatment from the US government although all they were actually given were placebos and a free burial. Miss Evers nursed them, chaffeured them, counselled them, laughted with them and mourned for them - but she never told them. In a time and world where the doctor is king, Miss Evers treads the 'messy middle ground' of caring for her men but always carrying out, in total secrecy, the doctor's orders. This is a compelling story of human tragedy that was kept secret until a Senate investigation in the 1970s and in the summer of 1996, President Clinton finally gave an official apology for the study.

Author

David Feldshuh

Listing:: L01506075099

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