From December 1941, until near the end of the war, a large program of
medical experimentation was carried out upon concentration camp inmates
at Buchenwald and Natzweiler to investigate the value of various
vaccines. This research involved a variety of diseases—typhus, yellow
fever, smallpox, paratyphoid A and B, cholera, and diphtheria. A dozen
or more of the defendants were involved in these experiments which were
characterized by the most cynical disregard of human life. Hundreds of
persons died. The experiments concerning typhus—known in Germany as
Fleckfieber or “spot fever”, but is not to be confused with American
spotted fever—were particularly appalling.
The typhus experiments at Natzweiler were conducted by Dr. Eugen Haagen,
an officer in the Air Force Medical Service and a professor at the
University of Strasbourg. In the fall of 1943, through the defendant
Sievers, Haagen obtained 100 concentration camp prisoners for
experiments with typhus vaccines. Two hundred more prisoners were
furnished in the summer of 1944. These experiments caused many
fatalities among the prisoners.
The general pattern of these typhus experiments was as follows. A group
of concentration camp inmates, selected from the healthier ones who had
some resistance to disease, were injected with an anti-typhus vaccine,
the efficacy of which was to be tested. Thereafter, all the persons in
the group would be infected with typhus. At the same time, other inmates
who had not been vaccinated were also infected for purposes of
comparison—these unvaccinated victims were called the “control” group.
But perhaps the most wicked and murderous circumstance in this whole
case is that still other inmates were deliberately infected with typhus
with the sole purpose of keeping the typhus virus alive and generally
available in the bloodstream of the inmates.
The typhus murders at Buchenwald were carried out in 1942 and 1943 under
the direction of the defendants Genzken and Mrugowsky. Requests for the
human guinea pigs were turned over to, and filled by, the defendant
Hoven. The bulk of the actual work was done by an infamous physician
known as Dr. Ding, who committed suicide after the war. But Dr. Ding’s
professional diary has survived.
The first entry in Ding’s diary, for 29 December 1941, reveals that here
again the impetus for these murderous researches came from the
Wehrmacht. This entry describes a conference sponsored by the defendant
Handloser and Dr. Conti, respective heads of the military and civilian
medical services of the Reich, which was also attended by the defendant
Mrugowsky. Typhus had been making serious inroads on the German troops
fighting in Russia. The account of this conference relates that, and I
quote (_NO-265_):
“Since tests on animals are not of sufficient value, tests on
human beings must be carried out.”
Other entries in the Ding diary quoted below are typical of those made
over a period of 3 years, and give some idea of the mortality among the
victims. (_NO-265._)
“_10 Jan 42: Preliminary test B_: Preliminary test to establish
a sure means of infection: Much as in smallpox vaccination, 5
persons were infected with virus through 2 superficial and 2
deeper cuts in the upper arm. All of the humans used for this
test fell ill with true typhus. Incubation period up to 6 days.
“_20 Feb 42_: Chart of the case history of the preliminary tests
to establish a sure means of infection were sent to Berlin. One
death out of five sick.
“_17 Mar 42_: Visit of Prof. Gildemeister and Prof. Rose
(department head for tropical medicine of the Robert Koch
Institute) at the experimental station. All persons experimented
on fell sick with typhus, except two, who, the fact was
established later, already had been sick with typhus during an
epidemic at the police prison in Berlin.
“_9 Jan 43_: By order of the surgeon general of the Waffen SS,
SS Gruppenfuehrer and Major General of the Waffen SS, Dr.
Genzken, the hitherto existing typhus research station at the
concentration camp Buchenwald becomes the ‘Department for Typhus
and Virus Research’. The head of the department will be SS
Sturmbannfuehrer Dr. Ding. During his absence, the station
medical officer of the Waffen SS, Weimar, SS Hauptsturmfuehrer
Hoven will supervise the production of vaccines.
“_13 and 14 Apr 43_: Unit of SS Sturmbannfeuhrer Dr. Ding
ordered to I. G. Farbenindustrie A. G., Hoechst. Conference with
Prof. Lautenschlaeger, Dr. Weber and Dr. Fussgaenger about the
experimental series ‘Acridine Granulate and Rutenol’ in the
concentration camp Buchenwald. Visit to Geheimrat Otto and Prof.
Prigge in the institute for experimental therapeutics in
Frankfurt-on-Main.
“_24 Apr 1943_: Therapeutic experiments Acridine Granulate
(A-GR2) and Rutenol (R-2) to carry out the therapeutic
experiments Acridine Granulate and Rutenol, 30 persons (15 each)
and 9 persons for control were infected by intravenous injection
of 2 cc. each of fresh blood of a typhus sick person. All
experimental persons got very serious typhus.
“_1 Jun 1943_: Charts of case history completed. The
experimental series was concluded with 21 deaths; of these, 8
were in Buchenwald, 8 with Rutenol and 5 control.
“_7 Sep 1943_: Chart and case history completed. The
experimental series was concluded with 53 deaths.
“_8 Mar-18 Mar 1944_: It is suggested by Colonel of this air
corps, Prof. Rose, the vaccine ‘Kopenhagen’, produced from mouse
liver by the National Serum Institute in Kopenhagen, be tested
for its compatibility on humans. Twenty persons were vaccinated
for immunization by intramuscular injection. * * * Ten persons
were contemplated for control and comparison.
“_16 Apr 1944_: The remaining experimental persons were infected
on 16 April by subcutaneous injection of 1/20 cc. typhus sick
fresh blood. The following feel sick: 17 persons immunized: 9
medium, 8 seriously. Nine persons from the control: 2 medium, 7
seriously.
“_13 Jun 1944_: Chart and case history completed and sent to
Berlin. Six deaths (3 ‘Kopenhagen’) (3 control).
“_4 Nov 1944_: Chart and case history completed. Twenty-four
deaths.”
Copies of each of Dr. Ding’s official reports went to the defendants
Mrugowsky and Poppendick as well as to the I. G. Farben laboratories at
Hoechst. Nowhere will the evidence in this case reveal a more wicked and
murderous course of conduct by men who claimed to practice the healing
art than in the entries of Dr. Ding’s diary relating to the typhus
experiments.