The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code
Human Rights in Human Experimentation
Published on 12. October 1995
Book
Paperback/Softback
400 pages
978-0-19-510106-5 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
fine collection of seventeen essays, written by prominent scholars in the field ... makes me appreciate the Nuremberg Code as a radical innovation in its time and as a milestone in the development of the consent doctrine in human experimentation ... renews my respect for the importance of institutional review boards as they struggle to implement the spirit of the Nuremberg Code by ensuring proper consent and protecting subects' welfare in today's research world. * Theoretical Medicine * This laudable collection of essays does much to dispel the confusion and put the whole episode in a proper perspective for those of us who need to know ... this volume of essays is well worth reading. * Claire Gilbert Foster, King's College, London, Journal of Medical Ethics, 1995, 21 *More details
Edition
Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
8 pp halftones
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
676 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-510106-5 (9780195101065)
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Schweitzer Classification
Content
George J. Annas and Michael A. Grodin: Introduction and overview; PART I: THE NAZI DOCTORS AND THE MEDICAL EXPERIMENTS: Robert Proctor: Nazi doctors, racial medicine and human experimentation; Christian Pross: Nazi doctors, German medicine and the fight for historical truth; Eva Mozes-Kor: The Mengele twins and human experimentation: A personal account; PART II: THE DOCTOR'S TRIAL AND THE NUREMBERG CODE: Telford Taylor: Opening statement of the prosecution; Judgement and aftermath; Michael A. Grodin: Historical origins of the Nuremberg Code; PART III: THE ROLE OF CODES IN INTERNATIONAL AND U.S. LAW: Sharon Perley et al: The Nuremberg Code revisited: An international overview; Robert Drinan: The War Crimes trials: The Nuremberg principles as human rights protection in international law; Leonard H. Glantz: The influence of the Nuremberg Code on United States statutes and regulations; George J. Annas: The Nuremberg Code in the United States Courts: Ethics vs. expediency; PART IV: THE NUREMBERG CODE: ETHICS AND MODERN MEDICAL RESEARCH; Jay Datz: The consent principle of the Nuremberg Code: Its significance for then and now; Ruth Machlin: Universality of the Nuremberg Code: Are ethics relative to time and geography?; Arthur Caplan: No comparison: The doctor's trial and analogies to the holocaust in contemporary bioethics debates; Marcia Angell: Editorial responsibility: Protecting human rights by restricting publication of unethical research; Wendy K. Mariner: Contemporary therapeutic AIDS research and the legacy of the Nuremberg Code; Conclusion; George J. Annas and Michael A. Grodin: Where do we go from here?