The Nazi Doctors And The Nuremberg Code

Abstract

Abstract The Nazi atrocities committed by researchers and physicians during the Second World War prompted the development of the Nuremberg Code to guide the ethics of modern medical experimentation utilizing voluntary human subjects. Since its inception, the Code has been viewed as one of the cornerstones of modern bioethical thought. This book examines the nature, scope and proper place of the Nuremberg Code in medical research. The ramifications of this important document are thoroughly discussed by a distinguished group of contemporary professionals from the fields of both medicine and law. The historical setting of the Code’s creation, some modern parallels, and the current attitude of German physicians toward the crimes of the Nazi era, are discussed in early chapters. The book progresses to a powerful account of the Doctors’ Trial at Nuremberg, its resulting verdict, and the Code’s development. The Code’s contemporary influence on both American and international law is examined in its historical context and discussed in terms of its universality: are the foundational ethics of the Code as valid today as when it was originally formed? The editors conclude with a chapter on foreseeable future developments.