1 / 2022 // LEOPOLDINA / NEWS 11
“ What was done for the survivors ?”
Leopoldina member Paul Weindling on his research into medicine under National Socialism
In 2015 , Leopoldina member Paul Weindling received the Anneliese Maier Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation . At the Centre for Science Studies ( ZfW ), the British medical historian used the funding he received to create a database of the victims of the medical and psychiatric research conducted during National Socialism . In this interview , he takes stock and looks ahead to the ZfW ’ s Spring Conference in June .
Mr Weindling , can you tell us about the database of victims of medical research under National Socialism that has been created over the past five years ? Paul Weindling : We have now collated 28,656 biographies . We are able to link data on perpetrators , prisoner functionaries and research literature . That data is now available for further research . But it ’ s also important for a family to know that their relative ’ s story did not end when they were murdered , but that their brain was preserved for research purposes . We can be transparent about that now , which is absolutely crucial .
How difficult has it been to reconstruct the biographies ? Weindling : It has been cumbersome , with hours spent exploring archives such as the extensive collection of prisoner files held by the Arolsen-Archives – International Center on Nazi Persecution . We often come across documentation relating to experiments such as the many preserved files on the malaria experiment run by tropical disease specialist Klaus Schilling at Dachau concentration camp with 11,100 victims . And we also have the example of hospital clerk Eugen Ost , who saved evidence that shows there was some resistance and attempts at sabotage .
What exactly do you mean by sabotage here ?
Paul Weindling ML has been a member of the Leopoldina since 2014 . He joined Oxford Brookes University in the UK as a Professor in the History of Medicine in 1998 . He is an expert on the history of medicine under National Socialism .
Image : Oxford Brookes University
Weindling : Some of the children participating in the “ twin experiments ” performed by SS doctor Josef Mengele were not actually twins . They were in fact just relatives that looked alike and managed to survive by pretending to be twins . During the “ cold water immersion experiments ” at Dachau concentration camp , prisoners tampered with the water thermometers . And that means we have to take the results with a pinch of salt . That ’ s an important layer of the story .
The database also includes people whose brains were used for psychiatric experiments by the Kaiser Wilhelm Society , doesn ’ t it ? Weindling : Yes , so here we have to answer the question : How did the patient die ? Were they perhaps a victim of involuntary euthanasia and killed by starvati- on , malnutrition or poisoning ? Once that has been established , it is necessary to ascertain how the brain specimens were used for further research .
You are remembering the victims through your work but is there any form of compensation on top of that ? Weindling : Since the mid-1980s , it has been a certain awareness that Nazi research was unethical . But the victims were not considered as individuals . The question here is , what was done for the survivors ? Many of them suffered pain for the rest of their lives . For example , Sinti and Roma prisoners were used for research into chemical weapons . It was later claimed that these people were criminals whose incarceration was legal . That ’ s absurd and racist . But it means the victims were not eligible for compensation for many years . The story of the victims of medicine under National Socialism still needs further investigation .
The topic of ‘ Medicine under National Socialism ’ and your research are going to be the focus of the Centre for Science Studies ’ Spring Conference . What do you have planned ? Weindling : We want to share an overview of the research into victims and perpetrators and present our findings . The plan is also to open up critical discussions on topics like the scars left behind by medicine under National Socialism in Germany . We will also be covering cultural aspects . There will be public lectures on all of the topics covered . I ’ m very pleased that this event will be going ahead in June to provide visibility for our team ’ s work at the Centre for Science Studies .
■ THE INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED BY CHRISTINE WERNER
Paul Weindling