Friday, February 13, 2009

Students shocked by utilization of Nazi experimentation data

by Thomas Fabre


During a debate about science and ethics at Minatec (Grenoble, France) on Thursday November 13th, a member of the floor claimed that the utilization of Nazi experimentation results on Jews has saved many lives and permitted the science to progress. A large part of the audience was shocked. That’s why Gerard Toulouse, specialist in ethical questions at the ENS Paris, answered him: “It is only a part of the truth.”

According to the student of PHELMA, leading French school of science and technology, some physicists and doctors have used the data of the resistance of the human body to freezing in order to save injured people and to protect better the expeditions in very cold places.
Says Benjamin, second year in PHELMA and member of the floor: "This affirmation surprised me. I didn’t know that scientists were allowed to work with such data. It is totally unethical."
Like him, some students were really shocked. As a result, the attention of the audience increased suddenly. At this time Gerard Toulouse asked the permission to speak. The whole floor was listening to him.

“I can’t let you that without explanation.” he said. In fact, just after the war (in 1947 exactly), the “Doctor’s trial” took place in Nuremberg (Germany). During this trial, the Nazi doctors who experimented on humans were judged. But after this judgment, the tribunal decided to publish a 10 points statement controlling the research on humans. According to Mr. Toulouse, research on unconsenting patients and the use of such data were strictly forbidden. But the Nuremberg Code did not concern the Nazi data, because they were anterior to the statement. There were some meetings of scientists and doctors, and some of them refused to use this data. But others did not.

This explanation convinced the most part of the audience. After the conference, Benjamin claimed that Mr. Toulouse seemed to know this historical period very well, but he would do some research on this interesting topic.

On the other hand, the discussion wasn’t over. Some students had more questions, but no time to ask them. The whole audience wanted to know more about these experiments.

In the concentration camps, 70,000 men, women and children were killed because of dangerous experiments and more than 150,000 were injured and disabled for the rest of their lives. Like Karl Brandt, chief of the Health Department in Auschwitz, much doctor experimentation had nothing to do with medicine. But others did. That’s why the WMA (World Medicine Association) allowed the use of such data “in the name of the greater good”.

In 1964 this organization published the declaration of Helsinki. This statement is a revision of the Nuremberg Code and is today very important in the world of medicine. The voluntary consent is not needed, but only if the patient is not able to give it, or if the doctor finds a proxy consent. This declaration is also an ethical guide for the research on the human body. According to Mr. Kahn, another French scientist specialising in ethical questions, science has to be led by ethical rules. But within these limits, he has to be free. Free of using unethical data?



Thomas Fabre is a second student at PHELMA, Grenoble, France.

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