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Henrietta Lacks - The famous case of Henrietta Lacks was made into a book and movie. In 1955, she unknowningly became the source of cells that would go on to be used in various scientific experiments, including aiding in vaccine development, cancer research, and gene mapping.

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Henrietta Lacks - Her cells were the first to be successfully cloned and kept alive, however neither Henrietta nor her family were aware that researchers had taken her cells. She died without a dime to her name and it wasn't until much later that her family found out what was done.

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San Quentin prison experiments - From 1913 to 1951, Dr. Leo Stanley performed a variety of medical experiments on inmates at California’s San Quentin prison.

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San Quentin prison experiments - His experiments ranged from sterilization to vaccines for the Spanish flu. They even extended to testicle transplants (human or otherwise).

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Newborn experiments - In the 1960s, researchers decided to perform a variety of experiments on newborns between the ages of one and three days old at the University of California.

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Newborn experiments - They studied blood pressure and blood flow using several experiments, including inserting a catheter into the umbilical cord after birth, immersing the babies' feet in ice water to test aortic pressure, and even strapping them to a board and inverting them head down to study blood pressure.

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The stuttering experiment - Researchers Wendell Johnson and Mary Tudor carried out a stuttering study on children at an orphanage in Iowa in 1939.

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The stuttering experiment - The children were split into two groups in which one group of children was praised for speech fluency, and another group was belittled for speech errors. Although they never published the findings, the children in the second group suffered speech problems for the rest of their lives.

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Tearoom sex - Laud Humphreys was a sociologist who was very interested in "tearoom sex"—male fellatio in public restrooms—that led to many arrests during the time.

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Tearoom sex - For his dissertation, Humphreys decided to become a "watchqueen" (someone who keeps a lookout and sends out an alert when police are close by) and study the men who were meeting up in public restrooms. Despite the questionable nature of his research, he ended up making some interesting conclusions and contributed to debunking some of the stereotypes held about gay men.

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Mosquito infection outbreak - The United States Army carried out an experiment in 1956 and 1957 involving biological warfare. They released mosquitos infected with yellow fever into two different US cities to see if they were capable of transmitting the disease to humans.

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Mosquito infection outbreak - In addition to several people dying as a result of the experiment, many others suffered severe illnesses, respiratory problems, and even stillbirths.

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Dermatology procedures - Dermatologist Dr. Albert M. Kligman performed experiments on prison inmates starting in 1951 and spanning the next 20 years.

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Dermatology procedures - He would test various skin products, perform biopsies, and subject them to painful skin procedures.

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Project QKHILLTOP - The CIA developed a project, called Project QKHILLTOP, in 1954 to study brainwashing.

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Project QKHILLTOP - Dr. Harold Wolff led a research team that developed secret drugs to attempt new methods of interrogation and test the effects of harmful procedures.

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Malaria study - During World War II, the Malaria Research Project used inmates at the Stateville Penitentiary in Joliet, IL, to study malaria treatments.

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Malaria study - The experiment involved injecting inmates with malaria and then studying the effect of medications, including Primaquine, which is still used to treat the disease.

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Electroshock therapy - Dr. Lauretta Bender of New York’s Creedmoor Hospital studied the effects of electroshock therapy on children in the 1960s.

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Electroshock therapy - She believed that it could be used to treat social issues and early signs of schizophrenia. She ended up applying the therapy to over 100 children before being forced to stop.

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The digestive system experiment - In 1822, Dr. William Beaumont decided to study the digestion process by performing a painful procedure on a fur trader who had been shot in the stomach on Mackinac Island, MI.

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The digestive system experiment - The fur trader miraculously survived the bullet wound, but it never completely healed, leaving a hole in his stomach. Dr. Beaumont would tie food to a string and insert it into the hole, then remove it after certain intervals of time to observe the digestion process. This experiment changed the way scientists understood the digestive system, revealing that it uses a chemical rather than mechanical process.

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Hepatitis study - In the 1950s at Willowbrook State School, an institution for mentally-handicapped children, researchers injected residents with hepatitis to develop a vaccine.

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Hepatitis study - The most disturbing part was that parents would willingly sign permission forms to allow their children to participate in the study, as it guaranteed admission into the crowded institution.

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Operation Midnight Climax - In the 1950s, the CIA yet again sponsored a research project—this time to study the effects of LSD and mind-altering chemicals.

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Operation Midnight Climax - Unsuspecting individuals were lured by prostitutes to a testing room where they were unknowingly given these substances and observed through a one-way glass.

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Radiation study - In 1954, after the Castle Bravo nuclear test was performed, the Marshall Islands experienced fallout radiation. Project 4.1 was a top-secret government-issued study on the residents of the island who were exposed to the radiation.

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Radiation study - Many Marshallese even speculated that the fallout radiation reaching the islands was intentional, as a way to test the effects of radiation on humans.

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Project Artichoke - Once again, a top-secret, unethical CIA experiment was carried out in the 1950s. This time, it involved mind control experiments.

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Project Artichoke - Using hypnosis, drugs, and other chemicals, they attempted to create amnesia in their unsuspecting test subjects and then manipulate their behavior.

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