Hudson's early experience with seeing patients dying at a tuberculosis hospital he was working at led him to develop an interest in prostate cancer.
According to Robert Aronowitz, before the biopsy, the patients underwent a physical examination including blood and urine assays, x-rays of the abdomen, massage of the prostate for cytology and intravenous pyelograms.
In addition, the efficacy of Hudson's treatment for what he deemed "early" cancers using methods such as radical surgery, castration, and diethylstilbestrol therapy was still unknown at that time.
[5] The ultimate goal of Hudson's research included finding a viable way to use open perineal biopsy (OPB) to diagnose prostate cancer at an early stage.
Although he was unable to accomplish his goals, Hudson set the precedent for future studies in a push for the screen-and-treat movement.
To motivate enrollment into the study food, bedding, and medical care were offered but the risks involved with the open perineal biopsy procedures were not fully explained to the patients, and many of them suffered long term health consequences.
Hudson claimed that the procedure, involving excising a 2.5x1x.5 cm core of posterior prostate[3] caused no harm,[2] however an independent research team proved otherwise, reporting post-op incidence of impotence, rectal laceration, and a diminishing sexual function in 24 patients.
Hudson implemented radical treatments to this cohort that were ambitiously beyond the standard of care with little scientific backing of efficacy.
The hormone therapy put the patients at risk for heart disease and stroke and caused a loss in muscle tone and overall stamina.
[2] Additionally, their lack of education made it more likely for the Bowery men to volunteer for Hudson's experiments, as they could not fully understand what they were signing up for.
Once becoming aware of Hudson's practices, an editor of the journal Cancer wrote him a letter asking what protection he had from the university's legal department.