In the Shadow of the Reich: Nazi Medicine

In the early part of the twentieth century, many prominent American scientists were joined by wealthy industrialists in an effort to rid the populace of disturbing traits such as epilepsy, blindness, feeblemindedness, and homosexuality. They believed that these ‘diseases' could be bred out of society through the implementation of scientific methods that came to be known as ‘eugenics.' These visionaries were so convincing that 27 states passed laws authorizing ‘involuntary sterilization' as a way to eliminate these hereditary mistakes. Eugenics became internationally accepted, and German doctors--universally recognized as being the best on earth--seized upon the new "science" as a way to create a master race. Many of the images in this video are disturbingly all too familiar, but here the focus is on the medical impetus behind the Holocaust and how woolly-brained American scientists actually contributed to the "medical research" which was part of the most despicable atrocity of the twentieth century. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Carlson)