In a groundbreaking initiative, The Lancet Commission unveils a significant historical investigation, delving into the darkest chapters of medicine: Nazi medicine. The recently launched report, titled “The Lancet Commission on medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust: historical evidence, implications for today, teaching for tomorrow,” marks the first-ever comprehensive exploration dedicated to the role of medicine during the Nazi era. Released on November 9, this scholarly endeavor provides the most up-to-date evidence on the history of Nazi medicine and its chilling connection to the infamous “Final Solution” – the German Government’s plan to exterminate European Jewry. The devastating toll of this genocidal campaign included the murder of 6 million Jews, as well as 250,000–500,000 Roma and Sinti people, gay men, political prisoners, and others.
The report is a response to the prolonged reluctance of the medical community, both in Germany and globally, to confront and engage with this dark chapter of history. It dispels long-standing myths surrounding the relationship between the Nazi regime and medicine, offering a crucial perspective on the decades following World War II. Highlighting the need for awareness and education, the Commissioners call for the integration of this historical narrative into health education curricula worldwide.
The central question posed by the report is a haunting one: How do healers become killers? Delving into the depths of Nazi Germany’s medical profession, the report unravels a shocking truth. Medical professionals, guided by an antisemitic, racist, and eugenics-based ideology, perpetrated heinous experiments on concentration camp victims. The journey into this dark past begins in 1933 when Nazi Germany introduced forced sterilization laws, a sinister development aided by German physicians. The report meticulously outlines the forced sterilization of 310,000–350,000 victims, exposing the roots of a medical system that tragically veered into inhumanity.
Read the full report here.
References
- Lancet. (2023). Preventing healers from becoming killers. The Lancet, 402(10415), 1805. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(23)02501-1
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