MISS EVERS BOYS

Miss Evers boys

Miss Evers boys

Introduction

Miss Evers' Boys portrays the emotional effects of one of the most amoral instances of governmental experimentation on humans ever perpetrated. It depicts the government's involvement in research targeting a group of African American males (“The Tuskegee Experiment”), while simultaneously exploring the depths of human tragedy and suffering that result, as seen through the eyes of Eunice Evers. The viewer watches as a seemingly innocuous program progresses into a full-blown ethical catastrophe—all the while taking Miss Evers through a moral journey, with her decisions having ramifications on the life and well-being of her best friends—her “boys.” (Davis, 1961)

I. Structure

This movie deals with the ethical considerations present in human experimentation. The government, wanting to mimic the Oslo Experiments, intends to study a population of African-Americans inflicted with syphilis. The movie takes place in alternate settings, transitioning between a 1973 Senatorial hearing and the site of the actual study in Alabama, beginning in 1932 and moving forward. Miss Eunice Evers, a nurse at a local Tuskegee hospital, is the centerpiece of the movie. (Davis, 1961)

II. Setting & Plot Summary

With an ominous lead-in quote, Miss Evers' Boys begins to tell the tale of an emotionally courageous young woman and her struggle to protect her “children.” Within the first few frames of the movie, the viewer is automatically entrenched into the already tenuous history of racial tension in America—except, this time, under the auspices of segregation founded upon disease. The movie begins, placing the viewer as an observer of a 1973 U.S. Senate Hearing, where we are first introduced to Miss Eunice Evers. Miss Evers is testifying as a nurse, one who took the nurse's oath to protect the health of those in her care. The claimed Senatorial goal is to discover the truth underlying the “Tuskegee Study.” (Allan, 1977)

Miss Evers worked in the study from 1932-1972. The movie progresses throughout the course of the hearing, with testimony by Miss Evers and reminiscent scenes telling the tale of the study. In the beginning, Miss Evers firmly supports the goal of the initial plan—to provide care and treatment to those suffering from syphilis. “It was the dawn of a new day,” explains Miss Evers. At this point (pre-study), she believes that the government is sending her patients, and her city, the best funding and medical support available. (Daniel, 1982)

The viewer is then introduced to Miss Evers' Boys—a folk music group. The musicians (four of them) are the first patients to provide blood samples, one of them being Caleb, an eventual love-interest of Miss Evers. Each of the men test positive for syphilis. At this point in the movie, everyone (including Miss Evers) is still under that assumption that “bad blood” is the culprit for the disease. (Davis, 1961)

Ultimately, the funding for the initial study disintegrates. After a visit to Washington, various gentlemen confront Dr. Brodus, the head doctor in Tuskegee, with an offer for a new rationale for funding. The gentlemen explain their intentions of studying the African-American population, much ...