Tactical discussions on how best to proceed with the lum-bar punctures had actually begun when Dr. Vonderlehr firstarrived in Tuskegee. He had decided at the outset to delay thespinal taps until the end of the project. He knew that the menwould not enjoy them. Even when performed in a well-equipped hospital by a skilled clinician, spinal taps are risky, for the margin for error in inserting the needle is small. Theslightest miscalculation can produce temporary or even per-manent paralysis. - P122