Abstract
The specter of Nazi medicine haunts medical ethics. It challenges discussion of euthanasia, health-care rationing, genetic counseling, sterilization of the mentally disabled, and the limitation of treatment for the severely disabled. This oft-raised apparition dissipates when it is invoked (or seen) as a rhetorical phantom rather than as a peril that could emerge again from the enlightened science of this age. Horror at Nazi medicine's apotheosis has largely diverted scholarship from its antecedents. Troubling questions persist. Nazi leaders claimed that German fascism was nothing but applied biology. To what extent was medical collaboration with Nazi horrors forced, voluntary, or enthusiastic? Was there an erosion of the medical ethic before fascism that was continuous with the medical abuses that became the hallmark of the Third Reich? Sheila Weiss' monograph begins with the medical theory of innate degeneracy that was prominent in the late 19th century. This theory held that retardation, criminality,
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
