Neurosciences in the Third Reich from ivory tower to death camps

It is commonly thought that the horrific medical abuses occurring during th e era of the Third Reich were limited to fringe physicians acting in extrem e locales such as the concentration camps. However, it is becoming increasi ngly apparent that there was a widespread perversion of medical practice an d science that extended to mainstream academic physicians. Scientific thoug ht, specifically the theories of racial hygiene, and the political conditio ns of a totalitarian dictatorship, acted symbiotically to devalue the intri nsic worth to society of those individuals with mental and physical disabil ities. This devaluation served to foster the medical abuses which occurred. Neurosciences in the Third Reich serves as a backdrop to highlight what wa s the slippery slope of medical practice during that era. Points on this sl ippery slope included the "dejudification" of medicine, unethical experimen tation in university clinics, systematic attempts to sterilize and euthanas ize targeted populations, the academic use of specimens obtained through su ch programs and the experimental atrocities within the camps.