The Lancet Commission on Medicine, Nazism and the Holocaust: One Year Later

Overview

Marking the first anniversary of the publication of "The Lancet Commission on medicine, Nazis, and the Holocaust: historical evidence, implications for today, teaching for tomorrow," this two-day symposium brings the Commissioners together to promote interdisciplinary intellectual exchange regarding history, the history's implications for contemporary health professions practice, and the communication of that history and its implications to health professions students inside and practitioners beyond the classroom. The event--hosted by the Cedars-Sinai Center for Medicine, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, in collaboration with The Lancet--features two plenary sessions (open to the public, in person and virtual) and two parallel workshops (invitees only, in person).

Target Audience

Healthcare professionals, trainees, educators, and ethicists; biomedical researchers; human rights activists; historians; and all who have an interest in the subject matter

Background

During the Nazi Regime (1933–1945), medical professionals played central roles in legitimizing, facilitating, and executing policies that led to the murders of six million Jews in the Holocaust, 250,000-500,000 individuals in the Genocide of European Roma, and at least 270,000 in “euthanasia” programs that targeted people with disabilities. Coercive medical experiments, which were often initiated, carried out, or overseen by internationally recognized researchers affiliated with or trained at world-renowned medical institutions, victimized over 27,000 individuals, leading to physical harm, emotional trauma, and, in many cases, death. With over half of German physicians joining the Nazi Party, medicine was the profession with the highest party membership. While this interconnectedness is well documented by historians, contemporary medical professionals are often unaware of this history. Perhaps even more obscure is the history of the significant number of doctors in ghettos and camps who demonstrated the utmost resilience in remaining dedicated to public health and patient care, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Yet, knowledge of and critical reflection on this history paves the way for insight into the very nature of contemporary medical practice and research ethics; the implications and influences are abundant. Dr. Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet, identifies even more profound educational opportunities from the history of medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust: “to provide an opportunity to reflect on the doctor’s role in society; to ensure that medicine plays its part in the fight against racism, including antisemitism; and to underline that our shared fate is a manifestation of our shared kinship.”[1]

[1] Richard Horton, “Offline: Universal lessons for humanity,” The Lancet, vol. 402 (November 18, 2023), 1818.

Photo Credit: Photograph of the defendants' dock during a session of the Medical Case (Doctors') Trial in Nuremberg, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Hedwig Wachenheimer Epstein

Host or Publisher Cedars-Sinai Center for Medicine, Holocaust and Genocide Studies