Rita Prigmore (Holocaust Survivor): It’s not right was done to others or myself in the medical research. It’s just wrong.
Narrator: During the Holocaust, German doctors, nurses, and scientists conducted human medical experiments in Nazi Germany and occupied territories. Racist Nazi ideology drove the selection of victims and some of the inhumane experimentation. The Nazis considered groups like Jews, and Roma and Sinti, as racially inferior, and used them as test subjects in many experiments.
In Nazi camps, doctors infected people with diseases, performed unnecessary surgeries, and even murdered prisoners. Many experiments were intended to support the survival of German military personnel. Doctors submerged prisoners in freezing water to determine how long a human could survive. And they put prisoners in pressure chambers to simulate dangerous high altitude conditions that pilots could face.
Scientists used prisoners to develop and test treatment methods for injuries and illnesses German troops might encounter in the field. Auschwitz was one of many camps where German physicians used inmates as test subjects, including children.
One of the most infamous physicians was Dr. Josef Mengele. For his experiments, Mengele frequently chose children, twins, and people with rare genetic conditions.
After the war, Mengele fled Germany to South America, and was never brought to justice. Some physicians were tried for their crimes after World War II. Many were never prosecuted and continued to practice medicine.
Survivors of medical experiments suffered from chronic health issues, but often feared seeking medical help because of their traumatic experiences.
Irene Hizme (Holocaust Survivor): I really got to hate doctors. I got to be afraid. I was terribly scared of doctors. I still am.
