The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code: Human Rights in Human Experimentation

by George J. Annas (Editor), Michael A. Grodin, Robert N. Proctor (Contributor)

The atrocities committed by Nazi physicians and researchers during World War II prompted the development of the Nuremberg Code to define the ethics of modern medical experimentation utilizing human subjects. Since its enunciation, the Code has been viewed as one of the cornerstones of modern bioethical thought. The sources and ramifications of this important document are thoroughly discussed in this book by a distinguished roster of contemporary professionals from the fields of history, philosophy, medicine, and law. Contributors also include the chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg Military Tribunal and a moving account by a survivor of the Mengele Twin Experiments. The book sheds light on keenly debated issues of both science and jurisprudence, including the ethics of human experimentation; the doctrine of informed consent; and the Code's impact on today's international human rights agenda. The historical setting of the Code's creation, some modern parallels, and the current attitude of German physicians toward the crimes of the Nazi era, are discussed in early chapters. The book progresses to a powerful account of the Doctors' Trial at Nuremberg, its resulting verdict, and the Code's development. The Code's contemporary influence on both American and international law is examined in its historical context and discussed in terms of its universality: are the foundational ethics of the Code as valid today as when it was originally penned? The editors conclude with a chapter on foreseeable future developments and a proposal for an international covenant on human experimentation enforced by an international court. A major work in medical law and ethics, this volume provides stimulating, provocative reading for physicians, legal professionals, bioethicists, historians, biomedical researchers, and concerned laypersons.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science, Medicine, World War II, Holocaust, Law

400 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 1992

Reviews

[Laura Walin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, a book targeted on academic audiences, and a book of articles compiled together. What I liked in this one was that it grew from concrete into philosophical, and from a case-study into geneal/global over the pages. Also, or probably because of this, the authors managed to put the whole of Nuremberg into context, and extrapolate from there to the modern times.

[Alicia Bonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be an incredibly thought provoking and an interesting overview on the Nuremberg code from the actual atrocities by the Nazis to the implication on moral ethics and where the US stands regarding the application of the code.

My two cons would be the age of the information since the book was published in 1992 (quite a few years ago) and the repetitive nature of some of the information. I still found it to be incredibly informative, albeit disheartening in the areas the world, especially the US, can improve.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reviews medical experimentation against interned persons at various concentration camps, as perpetrated by the Nazi regime and the drug companies they were in cahoots with. I read this book for my capstone project that I am getting ready to turn in and found it very useful in explaining how the Nuremberg Codes were created.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but very textbook like and not a very easy read. It does a good job of tempering the atrocities with reasoning and period perspective.