A History of Human Guinea Pigs

1946

MIT and Fernald State School researchers feed 17 Fernald students radioactive iron tracers in the milk served over their cereal.

1950-53

Harvard Medical School, MIT and Fernald researchers feed 54 Fernald students small amounts of radioactive calcium with their breakfast cereal.

1954

Harvard medical School, MIT and Fernald researchers study the thyroid function of 6 male adults at Beth Israel Hospital using radioactive tracers.

1957

Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Hospital researchers study the thyroid function of 21 students and seven parents at Fernald using doses of radioactive tracers high enough to cause "serious concern" among state Task Force members.

1959

According to a report published this year, Harvard has extraordinarily close ties to Fernald.

1961-62

Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston University School of Medicine researchers feed 60 children small doses of radioactive and nonradioactive iodine to determine the effects of nuclear fallout on humans.

1965

The same researchers involved in the previous Wrentham experiment publish a follow-up study to the test. Fifty three children with Down syndrome were involved in the test, but there is no radioisotopes they nay have received.