My understanding is that given this was the first time this was tried, there was a strong possibility that the patient would not survive. Instead, the manner of their death would inform the doctors for the next person they tried it on.

Given that their chance of survival is so slim, choosing to use a person for whom such small odds give more information to science, rather than do moral good by helping this person survive, seemed a reasonable tradeoff.

Is this too cynical a read on the choice they made?