Online Module: The Holocaust and Fundamental Rights

Doc. 2: SS-Doctor Oberheuser's affidavit concerning medical experiments

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Affidavit made by Herta Oberheuser in 1946 in which she tries to minimise her role in the experiments but admits having murdered at least five inmates.

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Sources

  • Trials of War Criminals before Nuernberg Military Tribunals, 2 November 1946, HLSL Item No.: 1798, Evidence Code No.: NO-487, Harvard Law School Library.

Extract from Dr Oberheuser’s affidavit

[...]

4. The operations were performed by Dr. Fritz Fischer. Sometimes I helped and assisted at these operations, and had the duty, to attend the patients after the operation. Different series of experiments were conducted; in some glass or wood splinters and cloth fibers were forcibly brought into the wound, in order to cause gangrene. For this purpose, a cut on the calf of an approximate length of 10 centimeters was usually made. I don’t recall how deep these wounds were, and I don’t recall either, which muscle was used for the purpose of the experiment.

5. I cannot say, how many persons, on whom experiments were conducted, suffered permanent injuries. But I know, that three died as victims of these experiments. I found that their heart failed. But since I had examined these three persons before the experiments were conducted on them, it is very probable that they died because of the infection which was caused by the experiments.

[…]

10. It was no rarity at Ravensbrueck, that persons who were already approaching death, were killed by injections. I myself have given 5 or 6 such injections. [...]

The entire affidavit is provided in the download section.

 

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