Why Teach “Medicine After the Holocaust”?

From 1933 to 1945, German physicians, bioscientists, and nurses – the best in the world at the time – willingly committed the most egregious violations of medical and professional ethics in the name of Holocaust medicine. Guided by eugenic theories of race, they sterilized 400,000 citizens against their will, “euthanized” 200,000 disabled German children and adults, and created the gas chambers and crematoria that were used for the mass murder of 6 million Jews, Poles, and Gypsies in the “final solution.” Without the enthusiastic support of physicians, nurses, bioscientists, and healthcare policy makers, the Holocaust might not have happened. For Holocaust survivors, their families, and the medical community, it is important to remember this time period and learn from it, so we can be better equipped to do no harm.