Discovery of Nazi tissue samples in Vienna: tragic children's fate is unveiled
Discovery of Nazi tissue samples in Vienna: tragic children's fate is unveiled
As part of a research project at the MedUni Vienna on the history of brain research during National Socialism, residues of tissue samples of victims of the Nazi “euthanasia” were discovered. These finds took place in the digital development of the historical collection of the Department of Neuropathology and Neurochemistry. The identified tissue samples include microscopic cuts and paraffin-embedded samples that come from a total of nine children, six of whom were killed in the Vienna "Kindereuthanasia" facility on the Spiegelgrund and three in the Brandenburg institution Görden. In 2002, human remains of Nazi victims were buried at the Vienna Central Cemetery, and another burial took place in Görden in 2003.
The rector of the MedUni Vienna, Markus Müller, emphasizes the importance of ethical principles in medical science. In view of the historical stresses, the university is actively involved in dealing with the past. Romana Höftberger emphasizes the need to learn from the past and consistently combat unethical behavior in medicine. Herwig Czech sees the discovery of the tissue samples in the greater science-historical context of research on human remains from Nazi Rights contexts.
context of Nazi brain research
From 1940 to 1945, institutions such as the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Brain Research in Berlin carried out extensive research on the brains of victims of the mass murder of mentally ill and mentally disabled people. Around 700 brains were examined during this time. The systematic creation of the research plan was legitimized by a formal letter from Adolf Hitler to Karl Brandt and Philipp Buhler, dated September 1, 1939. As part of the so -called “Action T4”, around 70,000 psychiatric patients were killed by gassing from January 1940 to August 1941.
A total of around 185,000 psychiatric patients died, with the number of victims increasing to over 260,000 by adding further 80,000 deaths from Polish, Soviet and French institutions. The goal of the goal behind "euthanasia" was the annihilation of chronically ill and disabled patients to restructure institutional psychiatry, supported by an eugenic ideology that contained sterilizations for the elimination of genetic defects.scientific entanglements
The entanglements of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in "Euthanasia" are undeniable. Under the direction of Professor Hugo Spatz from 1937, the focus of research shifted to sick brains. Close connections between the KWI and the Brandenburg-Görden State Institute were the key to carrying out medical crimes. Julius Hallervorden, an outstanding scientist of that time, received brains of "euthanasia" victims, including children. By 1944, a total of 1,179 brains had been examined, 707 of which probably came from victims of "euthanasia". Despite the end of this mass murders, research has been continued in a similar way, and the cruel story is still raising ethical questions.
By discovering the tissue samples in Vienna, the MedUni Vienna is once again the focus of dealing with the National Socialist past and its effects on today's medical ethics.
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| Ort | Wien, Österreich |
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