Juliann Toro

Prof. Wertz-Orbaugh
UWRT 1102-013
4/15/2015

Under the Knife: A Medical Experimentation Research Review

For this course, we had to select an inquiry topic we were interested in conducting
research throughout the semester. At first, I chose sexual assault in the concentration camps. I
chose that topic because I never knew or realized that such acts would occur at the camps.
However, there was not nearly enough information to continue on with my research. The victims
were too afraid to speak up about their experiences with sexual assault at the camps and it is now
that they are finally willing to do so. Instead, I then chose the topic of medical experimentation
in the concentration camps. I already knew some information regarding medical
experimentation, but I did not know what specific types of medical experiments would be
conducted during the Holocaust and how they would go about doing so. This caught my attention
especially because I am a pre-nursing major and everything related to medicine of the medical
profession catches my eyes. Luckily, there is tons of information out there regarding medical
experimentation at the concentration camps during the Holocaust. There are two academic
articles that I will be discussing about: David Sztybels Can the Treatment of Animals be
Compared to the Holocaust and William LaFleurs Dark Medicine. Szytbels work describes
how people who underwent medical experimentation can be compared to animals, while
LaFleurs work goes more in depth about the type of experiments that were taken place.

The Holocaust occurred during the Second World War at the time of the 1940s. Adolf
Hitler wanted to do everything possible for his people to progress as a nation. It was a serious
issue to many around Germany to reach the perfect race, the Aryan race; blonde haired, blue
eyed people. Some of the worst experiences of the Holocaust can be seen through the medical
experimentation conducted in the concentration camps. It not only involved older men and
women, but small children, especially twins, as well. These actions may be seen as unethical and
just purely inhumane, much so that it can be compared to the treatment of animals which leads to
the main question, what are some of the medical experiments conducted and why is it commonly
referred to as unethical?
As pointed out in the academic article Dark Medicine by William LaFleur, the question
of whether any of these activities carried out in the name of medical or scientific research upon
unconsenting, coerced human beings deserves the label of research or experimentation is
controversial (66). I especially like this quote because it basically sums up everything about
medical experimentation at the concentration camps. Every topic that has to do with the medical
experimentation during the Holocaust is controversial. Some may argue that the Nazis were
conducting the experiments for actual medical interests and research, but others may argue that
they wanted to torture the Jews even more than they already were. In my opinion, it was a little
bit of both but mainly to make the lives of the Jewish population more miserable. It boggles my
mind to think that they had to conduct these harsh experiments with the Jewish population whom
were already suffering than those of their own people who might actually want to contribute
without being forced to. The Nazis had no right to force the Jews to contribute to medical
experimentation without their consent, especially because the experiments usually led to death.

With that, one of the main topics mentioned in the articles that amazed me the most had
to do with genetic engineering. The author makes the comparison between humans and animals
very clear. It mentioned the obsession of finding the pure breeds of animals which in this case
would be the Aryan race. They would use small children, women, and men for genetic
engineering. Some of the genetic engineering could have caused death because the Nazis did not
know the outcome to the experiments or how the body may react. Not only was there genetic
engineering, but the most disturbing section I read in the article had to do with skinning after an
experiment was completed and the person passed away. Apparently the skins of Jews were
preserved by the Nazis and used for items such as lampshades like humans do with animals but
for their furs, feathers, and leather (109) according to Can the Treatment of Animals be
Compared to the Holocaust by David Sztybel. This infuriates me and makes me wonder how
someone could do that to another person. It makes absolutely no sense to me. All people are
human no matter where they come from or believe in and should be treated with fairness. The
fact that they would do something like that to someone else is sickening. How did the Nazis feel
no guilt? Some probably did not believe it was the right thing to do but they may have been
scared to lose their life as well. However, it does not change what they did. Maybe if it were a
different part of their body it wouldnt be as horrific, still incredibly inhumane, but using their
skin? I cannot wrap my mind around that and it was done after someone died through
experimentation which makes it all worse.
From that same article by David Sztybel, he addresses that Hitler refers to Jews as
maggots, scum, among other things (108). The people would even be considered vermin at the
camps. It is mentioned that God created Jews but there is also the comparison that vermin are
animals. Because they were considered vermin, that is how they were treated through medical

experimentation. During modern times, a lot do not care about the outcome of the animals; in
this case, the situation was with the Jewish population. Anything could go wrong with the
experiment and nothing would be done to help them; they would leave them there to die as if
they were not valuable.
In regards to David Sztybels article, Jews of the Holocaust were often allowed to starve
to death under varying circumstances, as are animals in various experiments, or on the trap lines
(111) along with the pure breed situation and being compared to vermin. This quote stands out to
me because it really shows the comparison between people at the concentration camps and
animals. Animals are constantly starved for experimentation and in this case, so were humans.
The Jewish population at the camps would maybe get a piece of bread and soup a day, from what
I learned throughout previous years. That is not nearly enough to sustain a human in harsh cold
weather conditions, which was one of the experiments. They would have needed more food to
become bulky for a better chance of survival since they were not given warm clothing or any
blankets to cover themselves up.
There were about twenty-six different medical experiments conducted at the
concentration camps during the Holocaust. According to the academic article Dark Medicine,
among the studies in which human beings were used in research were studies and analyses of
high-altitude decompression of the human body (LaFleur 66). This was done in Dachau by
physicians in the German air force. A low pressure chamber was used to conduct the experiment
on the Jewish population at the camps. It determined the maximum altitude from which crews of
damage aircraft could parachute safely. While this medical experiment was beneficial for the
German air force, it was unethical to continue on with it without the consent of the people. Im

sure there could have been other ways to test this experiment without torturing others in the
process.
Along with the high-altitude decompression, the people at the concentration camps were
subjected to intense cold environments. This was conducted because many German soldiers
fighting in Russia were suffering from hypothermia and a solution was needed. As a result,
Jewish people were forced into large tanks of freezing water or were kept outside in the cold
weather to the point where their bodies shut down. Those who conducted these experiments were
able to conclude that fatality occurs when the body drops to a temperature of about twenty five
degrees Celsius. According to Dark Medicine, a British newspaper, found a man who had
survived the hypothermia experiments. He told researchers that Nazis had explained to him if
he survived the hypothermia and then the decompression experiments, he might be freed
(LaFleur 68). The key word there is maybe. They would tell the Jewish that they would be sent
home if they were lucky enough to survive but that was all a hoax. It gave them false hope and
unfortunately, they had to continue at the concentration camps for longer, probably to continue
on with more medical experimentation.
As one could tell, medical experimentation was something horrific that occurred during
the time of the Holocaust. People who underwent the medical experiments are compared to the
treatment of animals because their skin were used for items such as lampshades, they were left to
starve, and they were considered as scum by Hitler and others in regards to David Sztybels Can
the Treatment of Animals be Compared to the Holocaust. Of many experiments conducted, highaltitude decompression and those of hyperthermia were conducted according to William
LaFleurs Dark Medicine. Questions still arise to better understand those types of medical

experimentation that were conducted during the Holocaust. My question now is, were all the
medical experiments successful to obtain new findings about the human body?

Works Cited

Sztybel, David. Can the Treatment of Animals Be Compared to the Holocaust? Medical
experiment studies. 2006: 107-112. Project Muse. Web. 8 April 2015.
LaFleur, Bohme, Shimazono. Dark Medicine Medical experiment studies. 2007: 66-72.
Project Muse. Web. 8 April 2015.