The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean Exposing Nazi Medical Atrocities
May 11, 2020
Explore the chilling realities uncovered by Dr. Leo Alexander about Nazi medical atrocities during WWII. Discover the relentless investigation by an Army psychiatrist into horrific experiments like hypothermia on prisoners. Follow the harrowing escape of a doctor who witnessed unspeakable acts and sought justice through a chance conversation. Unveil the dark legacy of unethical medical practices and the crucial formation of the Nuremberg Code, shaping today's medical ethics. Dive into a deeply moving quest for truth and accountability.
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Leo Alexander's Dangerous Mission
- Dr. Leo Alexander was sent to investigate Nazi medical atrocities just after Dachau's liberation in May 1945.
- He faced the grim challenge of uncovering horrific human experiments with limited time and scarce evidence.
Hunting Hypothermia Experiments
- Alexander investigated claims about hypothermia experiments at Dachau by confronting evasive Nazi scientists.
- He found destroyed evidence for human experiments but discovered tubs used for submerging pigs in ice water, implying humans were tested similarly.
Zygmunt Rascher's Cruel Bragging
- Alexander learned the name Zygmunt Rascher, an Air Force doctor who bragged about experimenting on humans.
- Rascher was cruel and unrepentant, showing the human face behind the Nazi experiments at Dachau.
