Medical Killings and the Psychology of Genocide, The Nazi Doctors by Robert Jay Lifton and Doctors from Hell by Vivien Spitz.
Thesis:
Medical experimentation was one of the most horrible parts of the history of Nazism. In this dark period of history, the doctors indulged in their fantasies regarding Jews whom they regarded as subhuman and without any sort of dignity
The books mentioned examine the psychology of genocide in the sense that the Nazi doctors were actually very much committed to their cause as they believed that the eradication of the Jewish race was something which actually had to be done and was important for Germany. The shocking beliefs of some of the doctors who were involved in the genocide of young children in particular was something which was quite damnable and is discussed at length in Lifton’s book who really get to the heart of the matter in this case.
Vivien Spitz’s ‘Doctors from Hell’ is similarly shocking and gut wrenching whilst really getting to the core of things. Spitz describes what went on inside the doctor’s minds who were intrinsically good persons but actually believed their mission that they had to eradicate the Jewish race no matter what. This profoundly disturbing book continues to examine the psyche of the doctors some of which are extremely famous especially Dr Jozsef Mengele who single mindedly masterminded a disgustingly sadistic medical experiment programme on young children.
The whole Nazi medical experimentation programme was a black mark on the medical profession and should always be seen in this manner. It is certainly the guiding light behind the books written by Lifton and Spitz who are excellent authors in this respect.
Works Cited:
Jay Lifton R: The nazi Doctors, Medical Killings and the Psychology of Genocide, London Basic Books 1988, Print
Spitz V: Doctors from Hell, London, Sentient Publications 2005, Print
Seidelman, W. (1996). "Nuremberg lamentation: for the forgotten victims of medical science". BMJ 313 (7070): 1463–1467. ISSN 0959-8138. PMC 2352986. PMID 8973236.
Lifton-Robert, Robert J. (2000). The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide. Basic Books. ISBN 0465049052. (first edition, 1986, London, Macmillan)
Weindling, P.J. (2005). Nazi Medicine and the Nuremberg Trials: From Medical War Crimes to Informed Consent. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-4039-3911-X
Spitz, Vivien (2005). Doctors from Hell. USA: Sentient Publications. ISBN 1-59181-032-9.
