The echo of Nuremberg: Nazi data and ethics.

Abstract

Over the past two years, debate about the use of data taken from Nazi concentration camp experiments has intensified. Many survivors of the Holocaust have been particularly offended at the publication of hypothermia or other data. This article argues against the use of unethically obtained data, and considers the debate from the perspective of the rights of Holocaust victims.

From in vivo to in vitro: How the Guatemala STD Experiments Transformed Bodies Into Biospecimens

“…It is worth clarifying the distinction between using artifacts, data, and specimens to educate people about past atrocities, to honor the victims, and to attempt to prevent similar occurrences versus using them for general medical or science education or ongoing research purposes. On one end of the spectrum, the use of unethically obtained Holocaust cadavers or biospecimens for ongoing research purposes is inappropriate because it uses the victims as a means to scientific ends and can be considered a re‐victimization . For example, the use of Nazi victim cadavers and biospecimens by West German medical schools for general anatomy education is inappropriate, because by treating them similarly to those obtained via legitimate means (eg, donation after natural death), it fails to acknowledge in any way the indignity, exploitation, and pain that the victims experienced.…”

Ethics in systematic reviews

“…Without an evaluation of the ethical aspect of studies included in meta-analyses, it is materially impossible to prevent the publication of unethical research under the protection of the label ‘systematic review’. Although the risk seems small today, it is nevertheless real and the history of clinical research is full of examples that have become sadly notorious6 7 and should serve as a warning against a drift towards research outside an ethical framework.…”

Not All Human Subjects Research Is Exceptional

“…In many ways, the situation is analogous to the debate over citing data from unethical studies. Like those in the biomedical community who argue that the Nazi hypothermia data should never be used even if they provide valuable information, research should be exceptional because maintaining the ethical integrity of science is paramount (Moe 1984;Post 1991).…”