The Limits of Science: a Lesson from Nazi Extermination Camps

Medical practice is closely linked to the Hippocratic Oath as well as to medical ethical rules that have been inspired by humanity and solidarity. Nazism, Third Reich, and WW2 marked the darkest period of humankind. From 1933 onward, medical treatments were exclusively reserved for Aryan citizens, and the elimination of the disabled as well as impure people was fully part of the program of rebuilding humanity. In 1948 the Hippocratic Oath was deeply modified by the World Medical Association to prohibit doctors and nurses from using scientific principles wickedly and violating human rights for scientific (or so-called) purposes. This article provides a full historical contextualisation of the medical practice in Third Reich Germany and explores the limits imposed on science by Nazism.