Nazi Medical Experiments
Luke Coyle 1st
Introduction
The Experiments
The experiments were very deadly and extremely unnecessary. One experiment was with gas chambers; they would try to find the antidotes for malaria, typhus, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, yellow fever, and infectious hepatitis by subjecting the victims to mustard and phosgene gas which would cause extreme irritation of the lungs and would kill them. Over 52 concentration camp members were subjected to this awful experiment, because phosgene gas was a popular toxic weapon to use during this time. Another one of their "so called experiments" was the hypothermia test. They would subject people to big tubs of freezing water to try to find a cure for hypothermia. This would mimic a soldier in water testing how long the body could last in cold water. The people were often either naked, put in regular clothes, or put in a wet suit.
Another experiment they would do would be the altitude test. They would send prisoners up into air planes and cut off the oxygen from the plane and see how long they could last incase that ever happened to the Nazi's soldiers, they would be prepared and know what to do. Additionally to all the other experiment,s they wanted to make human sweat potable. The Nazis would put the people under a massive heat lamp which would make them sweat, and they would take that and try to make it potable. It didn't work, though, and many were killed in the process.
The Nazi's would also put poison in people's food to try to find a cure for the poison bullet. It was basically the same thing if you got poisoned or shot with the bullet so they thought if we can find a cure for that then it will cure someone who has been shot by this bullet. They would also take prisoners and cut off their limbs and try to replace them with the wounded soldiers' lost limbs. It never did work though; it would leave the prisoners in excruciating pain and disabled for life. They also tried to make seawater potable by having the gypsies drink it. As with the sweat experiment, this did not work either, and about 90 gypsies had to suffer through it while depraving them of actual water and food. This caused them severe pain and dehydration.
Sources:
"Nazi Medical Experiments." Holocaust Encyclopedia. 8 Aug ,2015. Nazi Medical Experiments. Web. 22 Jan. 2016.
Medical Experiments of the Holocaust and Nazi Medicine |." Medical Experiments of the Holocaust and Nazi Medicine | 25 Apr. 1995. Web. 28 Jan.2016.
Tyson, Peter. "The Experiments." PBS. PBS, Oct. 2000. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
Hypothermia test
Gas chamber
Altitude test
Other facts to know
- After the war the Nuremberg medical trials began and lasted until Aug. 1947.
- Twenty-three German physicians and scientists were accused of vile and potentially lethal medical experiments on concentration camp members.
- After it was all over many of the doctors were either imprisoned or put to death.
- Approximately six million Jews were taken into camps and eventually killed and about 11 million people were killed all together.
- About 1.5 million children were killed.
- The Jews were told to wear a yellow star of David so they could be spotted easily.
- Hitler called the Holocaust "die Endlösung der Judenfrage" which means "the final solution to the Jewish problem."
Sources:
Bülow, Louis. "The Nazi Doctors." The Nazi Doctors. 2015. Web. 04 Feb. 2016. <http://www.auschwitz.dk/doctors.htm>.
11 Facts About the Holocaust." 11 Facts About the Holocaust. Web. 04 Feb. 2016. <https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-holocaust>.
Anderson, C. "26 Holocaust Facts." Holocaust Facts. Feb. 2012. Web. 04 Feb. 2016. <http://www.world-war-2-diaries.com/holocaust-facts.html>.
Conclusion
Links to more information
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/medtoc.html This is a good website because it gives information about what happened during the holocaust. It gives a list with information about the doctors and the experiments done. It also gives information about some of the camps and other websites to use for more information.
http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/classes/33d/projects/medicine/Introduction.htm
This is also an informative website because it gives more information about the doctors and their experiments. It explains the oath they took to help people, but sadly the oath was not kept.