Killing while caring: the nurses of Hadamar

This research was conducted to examine the participation of nurses in the euthanasia program as it existed in the time of National Socialism in Germany and to describe the participation of nurses at one of the six killing centers, Hadamar, located near Frankfurt, Germany. Over 10,000 mentally and physically handicapped patients were killed by nurses as a part of the euthanasia programs, with over 100,000 being killed in all. Factors influencing the nurses' willingness to kill are described and include the socialization of the German people toward euthanasia as well as ideological commitment, economic factors, and putative duress.