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| Inmates Want Payment for Experiments |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 05/20/2002 |
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One after another, former Philadelphia prison inmates came forward, pointing out scars they said were the marks of years of medical experiments in which they served as guinea pigs. Alfons J. Skorski, 52, showed a scarred leg he said resulted from an athlete's foot test at Philadelphia's Holmesburg Prison in 1970. A week later his foot lost all feeling and he could walk only 'by taking a step forward with my left foot and dragging my right foot.' Skorski said that even now, 'if I don't concentrate on that right foot it will still droop down, causing me to trip.' More than a half dozen former inmates appeared at a City Council committee hearing on May 7 to testify about the experiments they say were conducted on them. They are seeking an apology and compensation. Many of the inmates' stories were told in the 1998 book 'Acres of Skin,' by Temple University instructor and prison activist Allen Hornblum, who also testified. A lawsuit filed in October 2000 on behalf of 298 former inmates claims the testing exposed the inmates to infectious diseases, radiation, dioxin and psychotropic drugs - all without their informed consent. It names as defendants the city of Philadelphia; Dr. Albert Kligman, a University of Pennsylvania dermatologist who conducted much of the research and is credited with developing the acne and anti-wrinkle treatment Retin A; the university; and Johnson & Johnson and the Dow Chemical Co., whose products were allegedly among those tested on inmates. The medical testing at Holmesburg began in 1951 and didn't end until 1974, when it was banned, Hornblum said. A federal judge ruled that the statute of limitations for such lawsuits expired about 20 years ago, said Tom Nocella, attorney for the plaintiffs. But Nocella said the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to hear oral arguments on an appeal in July. Councilman David Cohen said he chaired the hearing, which will resume May 28, to try to 'see that the city ceases the dangerous stance in which it, instead of answering questions, tries to hide behind legal technicalities.' The city and other defendants in effect argued 'even if you're right, you're too late,' Cohen said. 'We don't think that kind of defense makes any sense.' After Hornblum's book was published, the University of Pennsylvania offered to examine any former Holmesburg inmates who thought they were harmed by Penn studies, and 'that offer still stands,' spokeswoman Rebecca Harmon said. |
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