Many lives were lost in the Holocaust, all of them unnecessary. The brutality and inhumanity was magnanimous, and completely barbaric. Doctors have always seemed to be the islands of healing in a world of pain, and they have, through history, been trusted to always help with the upkeep of well-being. This image of the practice of healing was shattered in so shocking a way through the medical practice of the Third Reich, it may never be repaired. One of the worst facts, however, is that many of the criminals that called themselves "doctors" and "scientists" escaped their accusations and lived on, in a normal life, unlike their "patients", who never again would have that chance.
Freezing/Hypothermia
The freezing / hypothermia experiments were conducted for the Nazi high command. The experiments were conducted on men to simulate the conditions the armies suffered on the Eastern Front. The German forces were ill prepared for the bitter cold. Thousands of German soldiers died of freezing or were debilitated by cold injuries.
The experiments were conducted under the supervision of Dr. Sigmund Rascher at Birkenau, Dachau and Auschwitz . Dr. Rascher reported directly to Himmler. Dr. Rascher publicized the results of his freezing experiments at the 1942 medical conference entitled "Medical Problems Arising from Sea and Winter".
The freezing experiments were divided into two parts. First, to establish how long it would take to lower the body temperature to death and second how to best resuscitate the frozen victim.
The two main methods used to freeze the victim were to put the person in a icy vat of water or to put the victim outside naked in sub-zero temperatures.
The icy vat method proved to be the fastest way to drop the body temperature. The selections were made of young healthly Jews or Russians. They were usually stripped naked and prepared for the experiment. A insulated probe which measured the drop in the body temperature was inserted into the rectum. The probe was held in place by a expandable metal ring which was adjusted to open inside the rectum to hold the probe firmly in place. The victim was then placed in the vat of cold water and started to freeze. It was learned that most victims lost consciousness and died when the body temperature dropped to 25 C.
Two Russian men were seen by a prisoner doctor in the cold vat. They were very strong men and had said a comment to the SS doctor performing the experiment. The prisoner doctor was shocked at how long the Russian men could take the cold without loosing consciousness. He asked the directing doctor to take them out of the tank. He did not allow this and increased the temperature slightly to prolong their pain. They died after a long painful stay in the tank.
The second way to freeze a victim was to strap them to a stretcher and place them outside naked. The extreme winters of Auschwitz made a natural place for this experiment.
The resuscitation or warming experiments were just as cruel and painful as the freezing experiments.
Sun Lamp
The victims were placed under sun lamps which were so hot they would burn the skin. One young homosexual victim was repeatedly cooled to unconsciousness then revived with lamps until he was pouring sweat. He died one evening after several test sessions.
Internal Irrigation
The frozen victim would have water heated to a near blistering temperature forcefully irrigated into the stomach, bladder, and intestines. All victims appeared to have died from the treatment.
Warm Bath
The victim was placed in warm water and the temperature was slowly increased. This method proved to be the best. Many victims died do to shock if they were warmed up to quickly.
Warming By Body Heat
Heinrich Himmler sugested to Dr. Rascher that he try to use women to warm the frozen men. He suggested that the victim and a women copulate. This perverted experiment occured with some success. However it was not as successful as the Warm Bath.
Genetic Experiments
The Nordic or Aryan Race was the most important goal of the Nazis. It was the largest part of the over all plan. The blonde hair, blue eye, super men were to be the only race. The Blacks, Hispanics, Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals and anyone else that did not meet the race requirements were to by cleansed from society through genocide. Hitler and the German High command made a list rules for the fellow Nazis to follow. The new rules required all SS before marriage must submit to general testing to insure racial purity. The rules for marriage were unbelievably complex. Thousands of marriages were denied. If the laws for marriage were broken it could mean the death penalty.
Dr. Sigmund Rascher and his wife learned what not following the marriage laws would hold for their lives. Mrs. Rascher was sterile. They were not illegally married; they adopted two children. They were later investigated by the Gestapo and executed for the crime. In this case, after his medical experimentation, it seems fitting that this killer was caught up by his own party.
Early in power the National Science groups were pushed into research of the race and experiments commenced. First the party needed propaganda to prove all other races were inferior. Measurements of heads, eyes, nose, blood were required. The vast majority of the early experiments were a propaganda sham. It was determined Gypsies had different blood and were inclined to criminal behavior. The same type of findings were made of all races other than the Nazis.
After the camps were started, vast genetic experiments were undertaken. The range of the testing was broad and specialized. The two major groups of experiments were first to refine the master race and second to determine the cause of defects.
Dr. Josef Mengele research on twins and Gypsies exemplifies the quest for the genetic studies. Dr. Mengele was known as the "Angel of Death". He would be at every selection when the new trains would arrive at Auschwitz. After the victims were unloaded off the trains and stripped naked and divided into men, women, and children, he would sort through the thousands of people. Most went straight to the gas chambers and others to hard labor in the camps. The twins, dwarfs, and unique physical specimens were selected to be assigned to the experimental blocks. In many ways the majority who where killed in the gas chambers were much better off than the survivors that had no idea what horrors awaited them.
Experiments on Twins
The twins were examined from head to toe. Measurements of every inch were taken. Dr. Mengele demanded specific and careful exams. If any detail was missed the staff, usually a prisoner doctor, would be punished. The twins were allowed to keep their hair for the first several days of the examination. After all the living data was taken the twins would be killed by a single injection of chloroform in the heart. Care was taken to insure the twins died at the same time. The twins were then dissected with the organs being sent to research centers.
Prisoner doctors tell of the fate of two Hungarian twins who arrived at Auschwitz late in 1943. Dr. Mengele was at the camp selection. The train arrived in the very early morning. Three sets of twins were found. They were taken to the experimental block. Dr. Mengele ordered the two Hungarian twins be placed in the examination room. The two Hungarian twins young men age 18 were described as "extremely athletic and handsome." They had much body hair and were allowed to keep it for the first few weeks. The twins were showered and returned nude to the examination room. The examination started at the head . All parts of their heads were examined. The head examination took almost days. They were then completely X-rayed . The next part of the examination consisted of tubes being forced through their noses and into their lungs. They were then ventilated with a gas which caused them to cough so severely they had to be restrained. The sputum from the lungs was collected for examination.
The twins were then photographed for several days . The purpose of the photographs were to show hair patterns. They were each forced to stand, bend, and kneel in many positions to accomplish the photographs. For example, they were required to stand with their arms lifted for many hours so the under arm hair could be photographed.
After the photographs were finished they were awoken very early in the morning. They were taken into a room with tables and a hot water vat. The water in the vat was very hot. They were made to sit in the water until they were ready to pass out from the heat. They were then strapped to a table where their hair was plucked out trying to save the hair root. They were put back into the hot vat several times. After enough hair was collected, they were totally shaven of every hair on their body. The twins were then again extensively photographed without hair.
The twins then received several two liter enemas which caused them much pain and discomfort. The boys on different days were strapped over a bench table and their rectums were hyper descended after which they received an extensive lower gastric intestinal examination. This extensive procedure was performed without any anesthesia. The young men were crying so loud that Doctor Mengele ordered they be gagged. The next day they received a painful and humiliating urological examination. In this examination tissue samples were taken from the kidneys, prostate, and testicles. Several semen samples were forcefully taken over two days.
After this three weeks of tortuous medical examinations they were taken two the dissection laboratory. Using two doctors, each twin was simultaneously given an injection in the heart, taking their lives. They were dissected and their organs were sent to the Institute of Biological Racial and Evolutionary Research Berlin.
Also:
Testing w/ Infectious Disease
Interrogation w/ Torture
Killing/Genocide
High Altitude Experiments
Pharmacological
Sterilization
Experimentational Surgery
Traumatic Injury Experimentation
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
Bear in mind that there is a distinction between Death Camps and Concentration Camps. The sole purpose of the Death camps is exactly as the name implies, Death. These camps were used to exterminate minorities, generally Jews, and later Soviets. Concentration Camps were where captured POWs were held. While yes, many died there, death counts were not as high as the "Death Camps". German and Italian concentration camps had a 4-5% death rate.
Japanese concentration camps had an average death rate of 27%. At several camps it was much higher than that. The Japanese blatantly defied the Geneva Convention, because they viewed the Western world as inferior. Prisoners would be killed for escape attempts, as well as listening to radios. Officers were also forced into manual labor, something the Geneva Convention prohibited. The prisoners had to eat rice that had been deprived of all nutritious value. Prisoners would die from malnutrition, dyptheriea, beriberi, starvation, and a myriad of other jungle diseases. Then of course, the Japanese themselves would kill them. Often for no reason at all. Men would be killed for something as trivial as having lost a shovel (however, the shovel wasn't missing, the guard simply misscounted) If a POW looked at a gaurd in a way the gaurd percieved as disrespectful, the POW would often find himself on the ground being beaten. Several of the Japanese's favorite modes of execution were: filling prisoners with water and then jumping on them, burying them alive, beheadings, and general torture.
Love is a very powerful force, especially when its formed into a coherent beam of death.
The more I read, the more I become suspicious that it was Himmler rather than Hitler, who was driving the extermination of the Jews and, the racial purity campaign.
Its hard to know what Hitler wanted because he hated writing, ( except for the famous Hitler diaries of course ), But he does seem to have been rather more interested in a campaign to conquer much of the world at the time.
When Hitler had to organise things for himself he seems to have been cronically disorganised.
Its known that Himmler was an obcessed fanatic on racial puriity. It was he who sent the expedition to Tibet, to find the origins of the Ayrans, and when ever I read of someone trying to make racial policy in the Nazi Sate, it seems to track back to Himmler rather than anywhere else.
+Most people demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid." -Soren Kierkegaaard.
Make no mistake though, Hitler HATED the jews. My friend read Mein Kempf (Hitler's book that he wrote before the war; "My Struggle") for a project and had it in class one day. I skimmed a little of it, then went to the index. Under the word "Jews" there were MANY entries. I read a couple of them, and I could barely believe it. The man goes on and on about how they're leading to the downfall of Germany along with many other things. Unbelievable.
I first learned of Aushwitz when I read War and Remembrance. It is so disturbing and saddening to learn what happened there.
1. You walk in.
2. You are told to take off your clothes for a cleansing procedure
3. You walk to the shower.
4. You walk in the shower with many others.
5. The door is locked and poison gas is released.
It's just sickening.
Hitler, as it has been said many times in my classes, was a genius. A madman to be exact. His rule pulled Germany out of a mind-boggling depression. He built up Germany, and rallied so many people behind him it's incredible. In the books that I have read, it seems that Hitler had an excellent chance at winning the war. It was just a few things that he did wrong that lost the war for him. These small decisions came out to be huge mistakes. Thank God he made them.
Kevin: Remember that one time when I ate those napkins?
Me: (laughing) Yeah.
Kevin: That was funny. Do you remember what made me do it?
Me: I'm pretty sure you just said, "Hey, watch me eat these napkins".
Kevin: (laughing) Yeah, that sounds about right.
I normally don't watch real life disgusting stuff like that, but I couldn't turn away.
It was all black and white footage. Pretty gross stuff. The allies moved in and took over the camp, then started filming.
The bodies were piled up in heaps. The jews left alive were unable to stand, they were sitting by building and looked like skeletons.
The one who could walk, shuffled like old people. When I say they looked like skeletons, I am not exaggerating. You could see every bone.
The allies made the fat germans in the town, and they were fat, come though the camp and see what had been done.
When asked why the bodies were all piled up, one of the Nazi's over the camp said that it was the jews responsibility to remove the bodies, and that they were too lazy.
Of course there was no sound, the commentator of the show was explaining things.
They then made the nazi's load the bodies up on trucks and they took them to a big pit and buried them all. This took a very long time because there were so many bodies.
A very disturbing documentary.
And you know, we always bring up Germany (or Japan) and WW2 when we talk about camps or atrocitys. It's what is closeset we can relate too.
But this kind of thing and worse has been going on for the history of mankind.
We have it pretty good here in the states, watching that doc on Dachau puts it all in perspective.
Heidi has been to Auschwitz, and it's the creepiest thing she's ever seen.
They still have things like the hooks, which they put people up on.
She will never forget it...
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
Some images are best to be avoided. Not to be forgotten - to forget is to fail to remember in order to prevent in the future - but to avoid certain details is both a necessary and safe option. I read every word you wrote in the above posts, KJ. I've read The Nazi Doctors. I've read Mein Kampf. Sometimes I see the images in my dreams. Several passages in The Nazi Doctors caused me to be physically sick after reading them. There comes a time when knowledge, historical research, and a quest for details is no longer beneficial; no longer healthy. I do not feel that the English language has words to describe the atrocities committed during, and previous to, World War 2. Horrific - not strong enough. Perverted - no, despicable, no, no no. The appropriate words do not exist. They do not exist.
Neo
"Ah, my favorite book. Chapter twelve, paragraph eight, verse three: the universe hates you. Deal with it."
-Harper
"We are here. On your left would be a black hole we'll call, say, uh, 'rock'. And on your right: one we'll call 'hard place'."
-Harper
adj.
Morally bad or wrong.
Causing ruin, injury, or pain; harmful.
Characterized by or indicating future misfortune.
Bad or blameworthy by report.
Characterized by anger or spite.
n.
The quality of being morally bad or wrong.
That which causes harm, misfortune, or destruction: a leader's power to do both good and evil.
An evil force, power, or personification.
Something that is a cause or source of suffering, injury, or destruction: the social evils of poverty and injustice.
Hmmm, I guess it's the most accurate word, but for me - it's worse than this.
Neo
"Ah, my favorite book. Chapter twelve, paragraph eight, verse three: the universe hates you. Deal with it."
-Harper
"We are here. On your left would be a black hole we'll call, say, uh, 'rock'. And on your right: one we'll call 'hard place'."
-Harper
05-21-2004 04:22 AM
), But he does seem to have been rather more interested in a campaign to conquer much of the world at the time.
