Cover of Justice at Nuremberg

Book 2004

Justice at Nuremberg

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Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
Language
English
Published
2004
  • History of medicine
  • International humanitarian law
  • War crimes
  • Biography & Autobiography
  • Germany
  • History
  • Legal History
  • Military - World War II

"In 1945, after the collapse of the Third Reich, Leo Alexander worked as an Allied investigator and exposed murderous medical experiments and other atrocities of the Nazi regime. His 'top secret' mission, documented in recently discovered diaries, provided the United States with evidence to prosecute 20 German doctors and three administrators for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Nuremberg Doctors' Trial held in 1946-47. The legacy of Nuremberg was profound. In the Nuremberg Code - a landmark in the history of modern medical ethics - the judges laid down for the first time international guidelines for permissible experiments on humans. One of those who helped to formulate this code was Alexander. Ulf Schmidt's discoveries reveal how modern medicine became the subject of greater accountability. He provides insight into the origins of human rights in medical science and into the changing role of international law, ethics and politics. Schmidt argues in Justice at Nuremberg that medical suffering continued throughout the Cold War but also concludes that the legacy of Nuremberg is more relevant today than ever - that the protection of the lives, dignity and rights of humans is what really matters."--BOOK JACKET.