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Whither Nuremberg?: medicine's continuing Nazi heritage.
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada.
Medicine and Global Survival : M & GS
|September 1, 1995
Summary
Nazi medical crimes were not isolated acts but involved mainstream German physicians. The World Medical Association (WMA), founded after WWII, has leadership with ties to the Nazi SS and has not addressed its own Nazi legacy or honored victims.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- History of Medicine
- Nazi Germany
Background:
- The perception of Nazi medical crimes as isolated acts by a few 'demonic' physicians is a pervasive myth.
- This myth has undermined the ethical foundations of contemporary medicine.
- The World Medical Association (WMA) was established to confront the ethical aftermath of Nazi medical atrocities.
Observation:
- The WMA's leadership has included individuals with past affiliations with the Nazi SS.
- Some leaders were implicated in crimes prosecuted at Nuremberg.
- Despite new evidence, the WMA has not confronted its historical ties to Nazism.
Findings:
- The myth of isolated perpetrators obscures the broader involvement of German medicine in Nazi atrocities.
- The WMA's ethical framework is compromised by its historical leadership.
- The organization has failed to acknowledge its Nazi heritage or memorialize victims.
Implications:
- Revisiting the WMA's history is crucial for understanding and rectifying ethical deficits in modern medicine.
- Addressing the legacy of Nazi medicine is essential for upholding medical value systems.
- Honoring victims and confronting historical complicity are necessary steps for the WMA's ethical legitimacy.