Experimenter's lecture sparks ex-inmate rally

Former inmates of Philadelphia's Holmesburg Prison found their way yesterday morning to the University's Biomedical Research Building II in protest of Dermatology Professor Emeritus Albert Kligman, who they say conducted dangerous medical experiments on them during their time behind bars. Protesters, who objected to the University's choice of Kligman to be a speaker in its Samitz Lecture Series, readily showed their scars to both onlookers and those attending the lecture. The demonstration comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed at the end of October against the University and Kligman, among others, on behalf of 298 former inmates of the now-closed Holmesburg Prison. The lawsuit alleges that Kligman exposed inmates to harmful chemicals such as radioactive isotopes and dioxin without proper consent during clinical trials performed in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Results from the Penn-sponsored research were allegedly used to develop cosmetic products for companies such as Johnson and Johnson and Dow Chemical, who are both also named in the suit. The experiments led to the invention of the popular skin medication Retin-A. These medical experiments, the prisoners claim, have left them scarred -- both physically and mentally -- and they are asking for compensation and a sincere apology. Roughly 20 protesters came, bearing a bullhorn and signs, calling the University the "Frankenstein of medical research" and asking repeatedly why Kligman was being honored with the lecture. Many protesters also shared various horror stories about their time in incarceration. Edward Anthony, who was in Holmesburg from 1964 to 1966, said he was used in tests for Jonson and Johnson bubble bath. He claims experimenters would make his skin unbearably raw and then spray it with chemicals such as benzoid to test his reaction. "[My skin] became so raw I could hardly walk," Anthony said. Any maladies that resulted from the tests were treated, but Anthony added, "the medicines, instead of making me better, made me worse." Anthony pointed to other test subjects with similar or more serious problems, such as a friend he claims needed seven feet of his intestines removed due to problems incurred by a test for diet pills. Anthony said prisoners were lured to participate in clinical trials by money they could use to buy cigarettes and other items from the prison commissary. "It was very easy for us to see Kligman as Santa Claus, or God," he said. Another inmate, James Michael Warren, was in and out of Holmesburg throughout the 1970s, and echoed Anthony's claims. Warren said he can't have children thanks to the experiments in which he participated, and to this day is afraid of doctors and hospitals -- in particular Penn's hospital. Of Kligman, Warren said, "He did me a terrible injustice." Both prisoners also claim they are infected with Hepatitis C for Kligman's experiments. According to Anthony, what the protesters want is "for this prestigious hospital to give us some kind of care after what they did to us." Added former inmate Abdal Ali: "If anyone was marred or disfigured by something a doctor does, than that doctor should not be honored." Kligman's presentation was an invitation-only event, but the University of Pennsylvania Health System issued a statement regarding the lawsuit. "During the 1950s and 1960s, the use of willing, compensated prisoners for biomedical research was a commonly accepted practice by this nation's scientists," the statement said. But it added that such behavior is no longer appropriate, and that the University holds strict policies about using human test subjects in research. University officials would not comment, however, as to why Kligman was chosen for the Samitz Lecture Series or about the nature of his presentation.