Thoughts after reading Robert Jay Lifton's 'The Nazi Doctors'

Robert Jay Lifton's remarkable book The Nazi Doctors and its tragic subject matter provided an opportunity to try and place the complicity of doctors in such barbarity in historical perspective. Massive episodes of killing of human beings by other human beings have been an ongoing saga for cent...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medicine and war 1989-10, Vol.5 (4), p.185-196
Main Author: Bruwer, André
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bioethics
Codes of Ethics
Concentration Camps
Ethics, Medical
Female
Genocide
Germany
Hiroshima
Holocaust
Homicide
Humans
Internationality
Jews
Literature, Modern
Male
Medical ethics
Megadeath
National Socialism
Physicians
Prisons
Professional Misconduct
REVIEW ESSAY: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
World War II
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Robert Jay Lifton's remarkable book The Nazi Doctors and its tragic subject matter provided an opportunity to try and place the complicity of doctors in such barbarity in historical perspective. Massive episodes of killing of human beings by other human beings have been an ongoing saga for centuries. Misguided belief and misguided science, and the abuse of constantly advancing technology in the name of one or other nation-state, have made possible the acceleration of megadeath. The Nazi concentration and death camps were a particularly vicious manifestation within the spectrum of killing. Modern weaponry makes omnicide quite feasible. Our urgent need is to learn the lesson and to cultivate and promote planetary patriotism as promptly as possible. Adherence to an international code of human ethics is a compelling requirement. The origin of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863 was an inspiring and promising beginning. The formulation of the Declaration of Geneva by the World Medical Association in 1947 profoundly enhanced the value of the Hippocratic Oath and provides a sound ethical basis for the national and international guidance of the medical profession today. The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War establishes another firm step in the right direction.
ISSN:0748-8009
2378-9980
DOI:10.1080/07488008908408877