Related Experiment Videos
The 'first to perish'. Child euthanasia in the Third Reich
1Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec.
Insights
Nazi racial policy led to the systematic euthanasia of disabled children. This article examines the "scientific thought" and implementation of this horrific program, highlighting pediatrician Werner Catel.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- History of Medicine
- Public Health Policy
Background:
- The Third Reich implemented racial policies aimed at improving racial fitness.
- These policies targeted vulnerable populations, including physically and mentally handicapped children.
- A systematic program of active euthanasia for disabled children preceded the wider atrocities of World War II.
Abstract:
In an attempt to improve racial fitness, racial policy in the Third Reich targeted many groups, including physically and mentally handicapped children. An early program identified disabled children who were systematically selected and then transferred to various hospital centers where they were actively euthanatized. The program, directed by mainstream German physicians, was begun on the eve of war and was a harbinger of the evils to come. This article highlights the "scientific thought" that provided the rationale for this policy together with the details of implementation of the active euthanasia program and profiles one of the major participants, Werner Catel, DrMed, who was a distinguished pediatrician.