Vertus Hardiman and the medical tragedies that must not be forgetten

Vertus Hardiman wore a wig for more than 70 years. His hair piece concealed a painful secret: a head ravaged by a raw, open wound that was eating through his scalp and skull. As a child, Hardiman was a victim of irresponsible medical practices that left him with physical and psychological scars for the rest of his life.

It was 1927 and Vertus, then age 5, had a case of ringworm, a fungal infection that affects the skin. He and nine other Black children from the close-knit community of Lyles Station, Indiana, were taken for treatment to a nearby hospital. The treatment they received was high-dose radiation. The children’s parents had no idea that signing the permission slips for the hospital visit would lead to their kids being irradiated.

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