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Doctors from Hell: The Horrific Account of Nazi Experiments on Humans
A chilling story of human depravity and ultimate justice, told for the first time by an eyewitness court reporter for the Nuremberg war crimes trial of Nazi doctors. This is the account of 22 men and 1 woman and the torturing and killing by experiment they authorized in the name of scientific research and patriotism. Doctors from Hell includes trial transcripts that have not been easily available to the general public and previously unpublished photographs used as evidence in the trial. The author describes the experience of being in bombed-out, dangerous, post-war Nuremberg, where she lived for two years while working on the trial. Once a Nazi sympathizer tossed bombs into the dining room of the hotel where she lived moments before she arrived for dinner. She takes us into the courtroom to hear the dramatic testimony and see the reactions of the defendants to the proceedings.
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 4, 2005
1187 people are currently reading
5476 people want to read
About the author
Vivien Spitz
1 book11 followersVivien Spitz is an American journalist best known for her coverage of the Nuremberg Trials and her advocacy on behalf of Holocaust awareness.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 276 reviews
January 12, 2011
Well written book, but I felt a bit hoodwinked. The title suggested a more comprehensive picture of the atrocities committed by medical professionals within the Third Reich. However the book is really a summary of court room testimonies as recorded by one of the court reporters. The author also gives a brief glimpse in to the climate (physical and emotional) of Nuremberg during the secondary trials and her life after returning to the US.
Interestingly, one of the witnesses for the prosecution was Dr. Eugon Kogon who survived a concentration camp (I think it was Dachau). His book, written shortly after liberation of the camp, gives a much better account of experiences in the camp. You can find it here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45...
Interestingly, one of the witnesses for the prosecution was Dr. Eugon Kogon who survived a concentration camp (I think it was Dachau). His book, written shortly after liberation of the camp, gives a much better account of experiences in the camp. You can find it here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45...
July 8, 2019
The information is provided through the author’s first hand account as a court reporter of the Nazi doctor’s crimes at the Nuremberg trials.
She presents the chapters through the different Nazi experiments on humans. For example, there is a chapter on freezing experiments, another chapter on sterilization, another chapter on mustard gas experiments, etc… Because the chapters are divided in this manner, it makes it easy to use for research purposes while for the common reader it allows you to easily obtain the information.
The facts are explained through the Nuremberg testimonies as reported by the court. It is not the entire report, but only the pertinent information for the purpose of the book. The reports account for dialogue between both the prisoners, Nazi’s, judge, witnesses, and prosecutors. The author explains the court reports before and after exposing them to provide background information. She uses language that is understandable for the common layman to comprehend. Photos are included throughout this book.
Keep in mind that this is a memoir, which is considered literary nonfiction. So, there are moments when she does recount her thoughts and feelings during this time. Occasionally, she will discuss her life in Germany while working as a young reporter; this adds to the setting during this time since her and other reporters had no warm running water etc…as a result of the war.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the facts during the Holocaust, specifically the atrocities committed by Nazi doctors to innocent civilians in Germany.
She presents the chapters through the different Nazi experiments on humans. For example, there is a chapter on freezing experiments, another chapter on sterilization, another chapter on mustard gas experiments, etc… Because the chapters are divided in this manner, it makes it easy to use for research purposes while for the common reader it allows you to easily obtain the information.
The facts are explained through the Nuremberg testimonies as reported by the court. It is not the entire report, but only the pertinent information for the purpose of the book. The reports account for dialogue between both the prisoners, Nazi’s, judge, witnesses, and prosecutors. The author explains the court reports before and after exposing them to provide background information. She uses language that is understandable for the common layman to comprehend. Photos are included throughout this book.
Keep in mind that this is a memoir, which is considered literary nonfiction. So, there are moments when she does recount her thoughts and feelings during this time. Occasionally, she will discuss her life in Germany while working as a young reporter; this adds to the setting during this time since her and other reporters had no warm running water etc…as a result of the war.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the facts during the Holocaust, specifically the atrocities committed by Nazi doctors to innocent civilians in Germany.
September 15, 2024
A grotesque, but necessary addition to my Holocaust library.
The way I felt listening to this audiobook made me wonder how Vivien Spitz, a young Court reporter, got through intact actually being present for the first hand witness accounts. Maybe she didn't entirely, as she had nightmares, and an experience like that never leaves you.
The Holocaust gave psychopaths a natural home, which is the only explanation I have for medical doctors being involved in such utterly horrifying experiments.
The way I felt listening to this audiobook made me wonder how Vivien Spitz, a young Court reporter, got through intact actually being present for the first hand witness accounts. Maybe she didn't entirely, as she had nightmares, and an experience like that never leaves you.
The Holocaust gave psychopaths a natural home, which is the only explanation I have for medical doctors being involved in such utterly horrifying experiments.
November 11, 2016
Documented history, hopefully never to be lost. A fresh approach to the Nuremberg trials and the atrocities of the Holocaust. Spitz, the youngest court reporter during this time of testimony, writes with a profound sense of truth and a no nonsense dedication to facts.
January 24, 2015
Considering the author was the court reporter...of course the book is highly detailed. She also does a good job reporting from a non insider point of view, especially just about how things were run, how she got to be in the trial and all of that. When it came down to the trials themselves and what was said, if you're a world war II buff, this is really good. She definitely did a good thing, putting all this information out there. If you have any interest in the topic at all this is the book for you.
I personally got the book to find out about the nazi experiments while there was plenty of information on that topic it wasn't really what I was looking for. the book focused more on her getting to the trial and how it changed her and what she saw back home. I feel like the title was false advertising in that regard. If you're looking for more information on the nazi medical experiments and don't already have a solid base knowledge then start here.
But for those, like me, looking for more obscure knowledge on the subject , go somewhere else.
I personally got the book to find out about the nazi experiments while there was plenty of information on that topic it wasn't really what I was looking for. the book focused more on her getting to the trial and how it changed her and what she saw back home. I feel like the title was false advertising in that regard. If you're looking for more information on the nazi medical experiments and don't already have a solid base knowledge then start here.
But for those, like me, looking for more obscure knowledge on the subject , go somewhere else.
February 7, 2024
Part recounting of the evidence at the Nuremberg Nazi medical trials, part memoir, and still has details that will shock people who think they know the worst of the atrocities committed by Nazis in concentration camps.
March 12, 2025
This wasn't what I was expecting to read for this but still important to learn
January 14, 2022
6 novembre 1946. Vivien Spitz, 22 anni, arrivò a Norimberga con l’incarico di stenografa al processo ai medici nazisti. Vivian, per metà tedesca, non voleva credere che i tedeschi avessero veramente compiuto le atrocità di cui si parlava. Ascoltò e trascrisse le testimonianze di vittime e carnefici. Sentì descrivere gli esperimenti medici, udì dalla viva voce dei superstiti le sofferenze e torture di brutalità inaudita patite. Raccolse 11.538 pagine di documentazione. - Esperimenti sulle altitudini - Esperimenti sul freddo - Esperimenti sulla malaria - Esperimenti sulla rigenerazione di ossa, muscoli e nervi e trapianto di ossa - Esperimenti sul gas mostarda - Esperimenti con sulfamidici - Esperimenti sull’acqua di mare - Esperimenti sull’itterizia epidemica (epatite) - Sterilizzazione - Esperimenti sul tifo - Esperimenti sul veleno - Esperimenti con bombe incendiarie - Esperimenti su flemmone, polygal e fenolo - Collezione di scheletri ebrei - Eutanasia Gli imputati si ritennero “non colpevoli”. In nessuno di loro ci fu un barlume di rimorso.
Questa è la storia della violazione di massa dei diritti umani, la violazione della dignità della vita. Ma è anche la storia dell’indifferenza di chi sapeva e ha taciuto, dei capi di stato che volsero lo sguardo altrove, dei capi della Chiesa che non si mossero contro quanto accadeva per paura di ritorsioni personali. È la storia dell’apatia della gente comune che si voltò dall’altra parte quando i loro vicini vennero portati via. Non si chiesero perché. Non si sentirono coinvolti. In fondo non era toccato a loro.
Riecheggiano le parole del pastore tedesco Martin Niemöller: “In Germania vennero prima per i comunisti. Non dissi nulla, perché non ero un comunista. Poi vennero per gli ebrei, e non parlai perché non ero ebreo. Poi vennero per i sindacalisti, e non dissi nulla perché non ero un sindacalista. Poi vennero per i cattolici, e non parlai perché ero un protestante. Poi vennero per me, e allora non c’era più nessuno che potesse parlare”.
P.S. Alla fine del libro c'è una parte dedicata alle fotografie. Lo sguardo si fissa negli occhi di quei medici, esseri umani che nulla hanno di umano. La domanda che si ripete è: perchè?
December 30, 2009
One of my Christmas presents? Couldn't we pick something a little more more cheerful?
Read
February 10, 2026it an interesting new narrative but I wish we got a more research/ well rounded discussion about some of it. The book does hit a little hard, throughout it there’s the reminder that it wasn’t just Jewish individuals but people they thought did not deserve life in general whether that be they aren’t “productive” enough, they are disabled, Jewish, or just didn’t agree with their point of view. It’s scry how we forget.
May 2, 2024
*Insert generic "the horrors humans can commit" comment here*. Very upsetting.
January 16, 2017
I tried so hard and got so far (Page 190), but in the end I just couldn't finish this book.
If you're looking for a book about the accounts of Nazi experiments on humans, there are several other titles that will give you more than enough information without forcing you to wade through unnecessary descriptions of the black market value of cigarettes. This book would have fared so much better as an autobiography, as an overwhelming amount of time was spent describing the author outside of the courtroom. Many of the chapters equally split focus between transcripts and how the author felt about trivial subjects, such as her roommate or space heaters. The introduction provided just enough, if not more, information as the chapters as the author literally lists out everything that she will be talking about in the book.
The chapters include odd sub-headers in an obnoxiously large font that seem to be generated at random; some state dates, some list names, some describe a scene in the following paragraphs. Some of these sections go on for pages; some last a single paragraph.
Almost all of the chapters were laid out in a repetitive format: the date of the experiments, why the Nazis stated that they were performing the experiments, a poorly edited transcript (overloaded with unnecessary information such as the martial status and current residency of the victim), and the same conclusion that the end (that there was no scientific grounds for the experiments).
The book also had an annoying habit of referring to itself in the middle of narration.
Honestly, the fact that the author touched on so many of the experiments and victims earned her some brownie points. But please, save yourself some time and read another book.
If you're looking for a book about the accounts of Nazi experiments on humans, there are several other titles that will give you more than enough information without forcing you to wade through unnecessary descriptions of the black market value of cigarettes. This book would have fared so much better as an autobiography, as an overwhelming amount of time was spent describing the author outside of the courtroom. Many of the chapters equally split focus between transcripts and how the author felt about trivial subjects, such as her roommate or space heaters. The introduction provided just enough, if not more, information as the chapters as the author literally lists out everything that she will be talking about in the book.
The chapters include odd sub-headers in an obnoxiously large font that seem to be generated at random; some state dates, some list names, some describe a scene in the following paragraphs. Some of these sections go on for pages; some last a single paragraph.
Almost all of the chapters were laid out in a repetitive format: the date of the experiments, why the Nazis stated that they were performing the experiments, a poorly edited transcript (overloaded with unnecessary information such as the martial status and current residency of the victim), and the same conclusion that the end (that there was no scientific grounds for the experiments).
The book also had an annoying habit of referring to itself in the middle of narration.
Honestly, the fact that the author touched on so many of the experiments and victims earned her some brownie points. But please, save yourself some time and read another book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2021
Доброволно си вкарах душата, сърцето и целия мозък с двете полукълба в шредер... Книгата е ужасяващо прекрасно информативна. Авторката всъщност е отразявала процесите в Нюрнберг и е изслушала описанията на случилото се по време на нацисткия режим от оцелели и работили в лагерите. Книгата се състои от кратко въведение от текст на Ели Визел, разяснителни бележки от периода преди започването на процесите и след това вече започва ужасът. Голяма част от главите са откъси от свидетелски показания на различни видове опити, които са правени от лекари върху хора от лагерите на смъртта (военнопленници, евреи, религиозни фигури, цигани и всякакви неудобни хора на властта). Само ще кажа, че е вложено въображение при измислянето им. Бях чела за не повече от 4 от описаните изтезания уж в името на науката. Spoiler alert: поне 4 пъти по толкова още не бях чувала.
Истината е, че единственият начин да не се побъркаш, докато четеш книгата, е именно тази изчистена до голи факти форма на свидетелските показания, защото това, ако го вкараш в емоционален контекст и започнеш да го съпреживяваш как си трябва, книгата няма да се чете.
Заключителната част в книгата касае кошмарите, които след процесите са продължили да преследват авторката, както и пръкването на същества, които отричат холокоста като реално събитие. Няма да коментирам тази новост в последно време как всеки с интернет решава да пренаписва историята и да подлага науката под съмнение, авторката също не го прави.
Много стойностна книга, която тепърва ще ми причинява травми с течение на времето, докато я осмислям.
Истината е, че единственият начин да не се побъркаш, докато четеш книгата, е именно тази изчистена до голи факти форма на свидетелските показания, защото това, ако го вкараш в емоционален контекст и започнеш да го съпреживяваш как си трябва, книгата няма да се чете.
Заключителната част в книгата касае кошмарите, които след процесите са продължили да преследват авторката, както и пръкването на същества, които отричат холокоста като реално събитие. Няма да коментирам тази новост в последно време как всеки с интернет решава да пренаписва историята и да подлага науката под съмнение, авторката също не го прави.
Много стойностна книга, която тепърва ще ми причинява травми с течение на времето, докато я осмислям.
May 25, 2015
If I were setting a curriculum for anyone seeking any degree in any medical profession and/or governmental profession, I would make this required reading. Actually, I think I would make ethics be a required course for all and it would include this book. We often think of terrible atrocities carried committed against mankind are only done by the most uncivilized, least advanced societies. This book proves that nothing could be further from the truth. People need to see what can happen when the state is exalted and science is misused to advance the state and God's teaching to love one's fellow man is rejected. It soon becomes all to easy for the individual to be 'dehumanized'. If he be considered an enemy to the state he can be referred to as a 'human guinea pig', or a 'rabbit', or even 'material' and the results can be horrific. I am confident that God has blessed and may he continue to bless Vivian Spitz for having the courage to right this book.
September 17, 2018
3.5
เป็นอีกเล่มที่ชวนฝันร้าย
อ่านเล่มนี้ไปวันละนิดตอนกลางคืนก่อนนอน ผลคือ เรื่องราวในเล่มยังตามไปหลอนถึงในฝันตอนนอน
ชวนหลอนเพราะทุกอย่างที่บันทึกไว้ คือเรื่องจริง การทดลองต่างๆ บางอันทดลองแบบทิ้งขว้างมากๆ คือเราว่าไม่ต้องทดลองก็ได้มั้ง ดูก็รู้ว่าทำไปก็ตายแน่ๆ ตายแบบทรมานสุดแสนด้วย สรุปคือ หาเรื่องฆ่าเหยื่อไปด้วย ทดลองไปด้วย
ในช่วงต้นของเล่มมีกล่าวเกริ่นๆไว้ว่า ช่วงสงครามโลกครั้งที่2 ทำไมนาซีจึงได้โหดร้ายมากขนาดนั้น
เหตุผลหนึ่งในนั้นคือ ผู้กระทำมักจะอยู่ในกรอบโครงสร้างที่มีกฎเกณฑ์ เช่น ทหาร หรือตำรวจ
เพราะคนพวกนี้ จะ 'ปฏิบัติตามคำสั่ง' การแบ่งงานแยกแผนกมีส่วนสำคัญ นั่นคือทางหนึ่งจะกลายเป็นการเปิดโอกาส
ให้แต่ละคนปฏิเสธความรับผิดได้ โดยแต่ละขั้นตอนของการก่ออาชญากรรม มอบหมายให้หลายฝ่ายร่วมทำ ฝ่ายหนึ่งหาปืนมา
อีกฝ่ายหากระสุน ฝ่ายที่สามบรรจุกระสุน ฝ่ายที่สี่กวาดต้อนเหยื่อ และใครสักคน...เป็นคนสังหาร
นี้เอง คือสิ่งที่ทำให้ผู้ก่ออาชญากรรมรู้สึกผิดน้อยลง เพราะทุกอย่างคือระบบ หรือองค์กรที่เพียงแค่รู้สึกว่าตนเป็นส่วนเล็กๆ ของฟันเฟือง (แต่ผลที่ได้ออกมาคือ การทำลายล้างใหญ่หลวง)
ในเล่มยังบอกอีกว่า การทดลองทางการแพทย์โดยใช้มนุษย์ ที่จริงมีมานานก่อนยุคสมัยนาซี ซึ่งย้อนไปในทศวรรษที่ 1800
โดยเกิดในยุคก่อตั้งประเทศสหรัฐอเมริกา ในดินแดนทางใต้ที่กระทำต่อทาส ซึ่งเคสเหล่านั้นก็โหดไม่ต่างกับเรื่องราวในเล่มนี้เช่นกัน
เรื่องราวในเล่มจะเป็นการพิจารณาคดีในศาลอาชญากรสงครามที่นูเรมเบิร์ก ผู้แต่งเป็นคนบันทึกถ้อยคำในศาลครั้งนั้น เพื่อพิจารณาคดีนายแพทย์นาซี 23 คน ว่าแต่ละคนจะได้รับโทษมากน้อยเพียงใด
ดังนั้นเนื้อหาในเล่มจึงเหมือนเราอ่านภาษากฎหมายอยู่ เลยรู้สึกว่าต้องใช้สมาธิมากในการอ่าน
ในช่วงก่อนจะจบเล่ม เล่าถึงการประหารชีวิตของจำเลยหลังถูกตัดสินแล้วนั้น เมื่อถามความรู้สึกก่อนจะโดนประหาร คำตอบที่ได้คือ จำเลยก็ยังคงยืนกรานว่าตนทำสิ่งที่ถูกต้องแล้ว เชื่อมั่นว่าสิ่งที่ทำไป ทำไปเพื่อมวลมนุษย์ เพื่อความก้าวหน้าทางการแพทย์ และเชื่อว่าตนไม่ผิด
อ่านถึงตรงนี้ รู้สึกว่า ความศรัทธาอย่างยึดมั่นถือมั่น คือสิ่งที่น่ากลัวที่สุด จากนั้นก็เริ่มนำไปสู่ การทำลาย ต่ออีกสิ่งที่ขัดกับความศรัทธานั้น
ป.ล. สงคราม ไม่เคยทำให้มนุษย์เป็นมนุษย์อยู่แล้ว...
เป็นอีกเล่มที่ชวนฝันร้าย
อ่านเล่มนี้ไปวันละนิดตอนกลางคืนก่อนนอน ผลคือ เรื่องราวในเล่มยังตามไปหลอนถึงในฝันตอนนอน
ชวนหลอนเพราะทุกอย่างที่บันทึกไว้ คือเรื่องจริง การทดลองต่างๆ บางอันทดลองแบบทิ้งขว้างมากๆ คือเราว่าไม่ต้องทดลองก็ได้มั้ง ดูก็รู้ว่าทำไปก็ตายแน่ๆ ตายแบบทรมานสุดแสนด้วย สรุปคือ หาเรื่องฆ่าเหยื่อไปด้วย ทดลองไปด้วย
ในช่วงต้นของเล่มมีกล่าวเกริ่นๆไว้ว่า ช่วงสงครามโลกครั้งที่2 ทำไมนาซีจึงได้โหดร้ายมากขนาดนั้น
เหตุผลหนึ่งในนั้นคือ ผู้กระทำมักจะอยู่ในกรอบโครงสร้างที่มีกฎเกณฑ์ เช่น ทหาร หรือตำรวจ
เพราะคนพวกนี้ จะ 'ปฏิบัติตามคำสั่ง' การแบ่งงานแยกแผนกมีส่วนสำคัญ นั่นคือทางหนึ่งจะกลายเป็นการเปิดโอกาส
ให้แต่ละคนปฏิเสธความรับผิดได้ โดยแต่ละขั้นตอนของการก่ออาชญากรรม มอบหมายให้หลายฝ่ายร่วมทำ ฝ่ายหนึ่งหาปืนมา
อีกฝ่ายหากระสุน ฝ่ายที่สามบรรจุกระสุน ฝ่ายที่สี่กวาดต้อนเหยื่อ และใครสักคน...เป็นคนสังหาร
นี้เอง คือสิ่งที่ทำให้ผู้ก่ออาชญากรรมรู้สึกผิดน้อยลง เพราะทุกอย่างคือระบบ หรือองค์กรที่เพียงแค่รู้สึกว่าตนเป็นส่วนเล็กๆ ของฟันเฟือง (แต่ผลที่ได้ออกมาคือ การทำลายล้างใหญ่หลวง)
ในเล่มยังบอกอีกว่า การทดลองทางการแพทย์โดยใช้มนุษย์ ที่จริงมีมานานก่อนยุคสมัยนาซี ซึ่งย้อนไปในทศวรรษที่ 1800
โดยเกิดในยุคก่อตั้งประเทศสหรัฐอเมริกา ในดินแดนทางใต้ที่กระทำต่อทาส ซึ่งเคสเหล่านั้นก็โหดไม่ต่างกับเรื่องราวในเล่มนี้เช่นกัน
เรื่องราวในเล่มจะเป็นการพิจารณาคดีในศาลอาชญากรสงครามที่นูเรมเบิร์ก ผู้แต่งเป็นคนบันทึกถ้อยคำในศาลครั้งนั้น เพื่อพิจารณาคดีนายแพทย์นาซี 23 คน ว่าแต่ละคนจะได้รับโทษมากน้อยเพียงใด
ดังนั้นเนื้อหาในเล่มจึงเหมือนเราอ่านภาษากฎหมายอยู่ เลยรู้สึกว่าต้องใช้สมาธิมากในการอ่าน
ในช่วงก่อนจะจบเล่ม เล่าถึงการประหารชีวิตของจำเลยหลังถูกตัดสินแล้วนั้น เมื่อถามความรู้สึกก่อนจะโดนประหาร คำตอบที่ได้คือ จำเลยก็ยังคงยืนกรานว่าตนทำสิ่งที่ถูกต้องแล้ว เชื่อมั่นว่าสิ่งที่ทำไป ทำไปเพื่อมวลมนุษย์ เพื่อความก้าวหน้าทางการแพทย์ และเชื่อว่าตนไม่ผิด
อ่านถึงตรงนี้ รู้สึกว่า ความศรัทธาอย่างยึดมั่นถือมั่น คือสิ่งที่น่ากลัวที่สุด จากนั้นก็เริ่มนำไปสู่ การทำลาย ต่ออีกสิ่งที่ขัดกับความศรัทธานั้น
ป.ล. สงคราม ไม่เคยทำให้มนุษย์เป็นมนุษย์อยู่แล้ว...
September 18, 2023
I’ll let Hitler’s personal physician; Karl Brandt, lay it all out for you in two telling quotes:
“I was referring to the entire situation as it prevailed with us in Germany during the time of an authoritarian leadership. This authoritarian leadership interfered with the personality and the personal feelings of the human being. The moment an individuality is absorbed into the concept of a collective body, every demand which is put to that individuality has to be absorbed into the concept of a collective system. Therefore, the demands of society are placed above every individual human being as an entity, and this entity, the human being, is completely used in the interests of that society.”
“It is immaterial for the experiment whether it is done with or against the will of the person concerned...The meaning is the motive—devotion to the community...ethics of every form are decided by an order or obedience.”
“I was referring to the entire situation as it prevailed with us in Germany during the time of an authoritarian leadership. This authoritarian leadership interfered with the personality and the personal feelings of the human being. The moment an individuality is absorbed into the concept of a collective body, every demand which is put to that individuality has to be absorbed into the concept of a collective system. Therefore, the demands of society are placed above every individual human being as an entity, and this entity, the human being, is completely used in the interests of that society.”
“It is immaterial for the experiment whether it is done with or against the will of the person concerned...The meaning is the motive—devotion to the community...ethics of every form are decided by an order or obedience.”
Read
October 5, 2025500 tons of *recovered* entries.
tens of thousands of deaths due to experiments.
millions of people in said experiments.
and so much more.
tens of thousands of deaths due to experiments.
millions of people in said experiments.
and so much more.
February 10, 2017
Quick take (thanks to an ongoing hand injury that doesn't like typing):
3.5 stars, really, but I'll grant it a 4 because it's such a unique perspective on otherwise available information. Spitz intersperses her Nuremberg transcripts with personal wartime anecdotes that make it easier to imagine what being in the presence of evil was really like.
On the other hand, the detours outside of the courtroom may be taken as false advertising courtesy of the title of this book. It's not, as one might expect, a dispassionate 300 wall to wall pages of Nazi horrors; Spitz spends a chapter here and there illustrating postwar Germany and America, and it does take a while for her to bring us into the court with her young self. I was a bit impatient in the beginning, but by the end - and after a dozen chapters illuminating some of the most upsetting and repulsive things humanity has ever done - I welcomed the sidelines about how she dealt with her job on a personal level. It took me out of the terrible things too vividly conjured in my own head by the haunted words of Dachau survivors.
Overall this is a well-researched, finely remembered account of the doctors who were tried for war crimes. Once you get to the details of the experiments you may find yourself wishing you'd turned back; I felt quite ill at points, and I'm pretty well versed in my WWII history. The witness testimony will shake even the most unshakable reader, and the total lack of guilt or remorse from the defendants is still a total gut-punch 70+ years later. The Kindle version has some formatting problems that make a few of the transcribed sections difficult to follow, but that's a fairly minor quibble in the face of this insider access.
If you're looking for an entry-level book on the subject of the Nazi experiments and the Nuremberg trials, this will work for you. If you're a bit more advanced you may want to seek out a more specific, "deep dive" kind of book instead. Truth be told, though...for me, the level of detail in DOCTORS FROM HELL was more than enough. I can barely figure out how I'll ever get those chapters out of the front of my mind, let alone imagine wanting to read more about them.
You've been warned. It's almost certainly worse than your history classes let on. I'm at a loss.
3.5 stars, really, but I'll grant it a 4 because it's such a unique perspective on otherwise available information. Spitz intersperses her Nuremberg transcripts with personal wartime anecdotes that make it easier to imagine what being in the presence of evil was really like.
On the other hand, the detours outside of the courtroom may be taken as false advertising courtesy of the title of this book. It's not, as one might expect, a dispassionate 300 wall to wall pages of Nazi horrors; Spitz spends a chapter here and there illustrating postwar Germany and America, and it does take a while for her to bring us into the court with her young self. I was a bit impatient in the beginning, but by the end - and after a dozen chapters illuminating some of the most upsetting and repulsive things humanity has ever done - I welcomed the sidelines about how she dealt with her job on a personal level. It took me out of the terrible things too vividly conjured in my own head by the haunted words of Dachau survivors.
Overall this is a well-researched, finely remembered account of the doctors who were tried for war crimes. Once you get to the details of the experiments you may find yourself wishing you'd turned back; I felt quite ill at points, and I'm pretty well versed in my WWII history. The witness testimony will shake even the most unshakable reader, and the total lack of guilt or remorse from the defendants is still a total gut-punch 70+ years later. The Kindle version has some formatting problems that make a few of the transcribed sections difficult to follow, but that's a fairly minor quibble in the face of this insider access.
If you're looking for an entry-level book on the subject of the Nazi experiments and the Nuremberg trials, this will work for you. If you're a bit more advanced you may want to seek out a more specific, "deep dive" kind of book instead. Truth be told, though...for me, the level of detail in DOCTORS FROM HELL was more than enough. I can barely figure out how I'll ever get those chapters out of the front of my mind, let alone imagine wanting to read more about them.
You've been warned. It's almost certainly worse than your history classes let on. I'm at a loss.
May 7, 2024
"The ill-conceived 'love of thy neighbor' has to disappear, especially in relation to inferior or asocial creatures. It is the supreme duty of a national state to grant life and livelihood only to the healthy and hereditarily sound portion of the people in order to secure the maintenance of a hereditarily sound and racially pure folk for all eternity" Dr. Arthur Guett wrote in a book called The Structure of Public Health in the Third Reich. That portion from Vivien Spitz's important book describes the evil and heinous acts by men of medicine who took an oath to do no harm and did the exact opposite. They gave people malaria, made them drink salt water, cut off limbs or removed bones for "transplant" purposes, sterilized them and committed many other atrocities.
Ms. Spitz was a reporter at The Nuremberg Trials. Her book is a combination of her own experiences, transcripts, documents and photos related to the trial and experiments. Some of the photos and information about the experiments I saw at Dachau. Some of the Nazi experiments that were covered in this book were eye opening to me. It was a disturbing read of the cruelty of the Nazi regime. It was not easy to read, and I don't recommend for the squeamish. Reading the testimonies of survivors was chilling to say the least. During the trial one of the survivors tried to kill one of the doctors with a dagger. That man was sentenced to prison for 90 days for attempted murder. Reading in the transcript of his explanation for this act was heartbreaking. His life was absolutely ruined. You could feel his pain in the text, and I could only imagine how much worse it would be pain to hear and see this man justify his actions against a man who tormented him.
Some of these doctors were found guilty, and some were acquitted. A few of the guilty were executed and others served prison sentences. Ms. Spitz stated it well when she wrote: "The medical case of the Nazi doctors is the story of the mass violation of basic human rights and the dignity of life, of indifference to evil, of people who knew and kept silent, and of heads of state who looked the other way." A disturbing read that shows us that evil exists and people are committed to doing heinous acts.
Ms. Spitz was a reporter at The Nuremberg Trials. Her book is a combination of her own experiences, transcripts, documents and photos related to the trial and experiments. Some of the photos and information about the experiments I saw at Dachau. Some of the Nazi experiments that were covered in this book were eye opening to me. It was a disturbing read of the cruelty of the Nazi regime. It was not easy to read, and I don't recommend for the squeamish. Reading the testimonies of survivors was chilling to say the least. During the trial one of the survivors tried to kill one of the doctors with a dagger. That man was sentenced to prison for 90 days for attempted murder. Reading in the transcript of his explanation for this act was heartbreaking. His life was absolutely ruined. You could feel his pain in the text, and I could only imagine how much worse it would be pain to hear and see this man justify his actions against a man who tormented him.
Some of these doctors were found guilty, and some were acquitted. A few of the guilty were executed and others served prison sentences. Ms. Spitz stated it well when she wrote: "The medical case of the Nazi doctors is the story of the mass violation of basic human rights and the dignity of life, of indifference to evil, of people who knew and kept silent, and of heads of state who looked the other way." A disturbing read that shows us that evil exists and people are committed to doing heinous acts.
August 29, 2024
"It is immaterial for the experiment whether it is done with or against the will of the person concerned... The meaning is the motive—devotion to the community... ethics of every form are decided by an order or obedience."
Final statement of Karl Brandt, Hitler’s personal physician.
This book offers an incredible recount of one of the most horrific actions that took place in the 20th century. If someone is looking for detailed insights into the medical aspects of the experiments or a thorough legal analysis, they should look elsewhere. This book is a recap of the nine-month trial, listing all the experiments that took place in the camps during the war. The recap is based primarily on transcripts, testimonies, and documents presented during the trial as no additional commentary from the author is needed, the words of the victims are powerful enough on their own.
Contrary to some comments here, I loved the parts where the author describes how she got the job of court reporter in Nuremberg, along with all the little details of her and other Americans' everyday life in Germany. This is the part they don’t teach you in school, and for me, it’s fascinating to see how people were dealing with the aftermath of the war.
I won't lie—this is a very difficult read. It made me sick a few times, especially because of a few pictures, but the most sickening part was the final statements of these doctors, who never once felt any remorse or responsibility for destroying so many lives. This is probably the reason why this book should be mandatory reading for everyone.
Final statement of Karl Brandt, Hitler’s personal physician.
This book offers an incredible recount of one of the most horrific actions that took place in the 20th century. If someone is looking for detailed insights into the medical aspects of the experiments or a thorough legal analysis, they should look elsewhere. This book is a recap of the nine-month trial, listing all the experiments that took place in the camps during the war. The recap is based primarily on transcripts, testimonies, and documents presented during the trial as no additional commentary from the author is needed, the words of the victims are powerful enough on their own.
Contrary to some comments here, I loved the parts where the author describes how she got the job of court reporter in Nuremberg, along with all the little details of her and other Americans' everyday life in Germany. This is the part they don’t teach you in school, and for me, it’s fascinating to see how people were dealing with the aftermath of the war.
I won't lie—this is a very difficult read. It made me sick a few times, especially because of a few pictures, but the most sickening part was the final statements of these doctors, who never once felt any remorse or responsibility for destroying so many lives. This is probably the reason why this book should be mandatory reading for everyone.
November 9, 2011
เสื่อมฮะ อ่านแล้วรู้สึกมึนๆ อึนๆ หม่นๆ อารมณ์เหมือนตอนดู Funny game หรือไม่ก็ตอนดู Salo ที่ไม่เคยดูจบ
ผมค่อนข้างมั่นใจว่าตัวเองมีความต้านทานต่อความโหดร้ายอะไรอย่างงี้ เนื่องจากผ่านตาหนังเสื่อมๆ จิตตกๆ มามากพอสมควร แต่มันเมื่อว่าตอนดูหนังพวกนั้น มันรับรู้อยู่แล้วว่ามันแต่งขึ้นมา ซึ่งต่างจากการรับรู้เรื่องการทดลองผ่านหนังสือเล่มนี้ ที่มันบันทึกว่า "จริง" ทุกประการณ์
หนังสือเล่าเรื่องได้ไม่สนุกเลยในความคิดของผม เป็นการตัดคำ สรุปย่อ การไต่สวนในสารแยกเป็นหัวข้อๆ ในเรื่องการทดลองต่างๆต่อมนุษย์ ของแพทย์นาซี แต่การจากรับรู้ว่าการทดลงพวกนี่ เช่น ตัดขา ตัดแขน เผาเหยื่อ กรีดแผล ทำให้ติดเชื่อ แช่น้ำแข็ง เป้นเรื่องจริง ที่มนุษย์ กระทำต่อมนุษย์ด้วยความความคิดที่จะกำจัดมนุษย์ ที่สำคัญเยอะด้วย มันทำให้จิตตกจนผมสงสัยว่า คนเราเนี่ยจะหลงลืมความเป็นเพื่อนมนุษย์ด้วยกันได้ถึงขนาดนี้เชียวหรอ
มันทำให้ผมนึกถึงประโยคหนึ่งในเรื่อง Dexter ที่ว่า "ถ้าคุณศรัทธาในทางที่ผิดแล้วล่ะก็หายนะ"
เอาเป็น 2.5 ดาวล่ะกัน
ผมค่อนข้างมั่นใจว่าตัวเองมีความต้านทานต่อความโหดร้ายอะไรอย่างงี้ เนื่องจากผ่านตาหนังเสื่อมๆ จิตตกๆ มามากพอสมควร แต่มันเมื่อว่าตอนดูหนังพวกนั้น มันรับรู้อยู่แล้วว่ามันแต่งขึ้นมา ซึ่งต่างจากการรับรู้เรื่องการทดลองผ่านหนังสือเล่มนี้ ที่มันบันทึกว่า "จริง" ทุกประการณ์
หนังสือเล่าเรื่องได้ไม่สนุกเลยในความคิดของผม เป็นการตัดคำ สรุปย่อ การไต่สวนในสารแยกเป็นหัวข้อๆ ในเรื่องการทดลองต่างๆต่อมนุษย์ ของแพทย์นาซี แต่การจากรับรู้ว่าการทดลงพวกนี่ เช่น ตัดขา ตัดแขน เผาเหยื่อ กรีดแผล ทำให้ติดเชื่อ แช่น้ำแข็ง เป้นเรื่องจริง ที่มนุษย์ กระทำต่อมนุษย์ด้วยความความคิดที่จะกำจัดมนุษย์ ที่สำคัญเยอะด้วย มันทำให้จิตตกจนผมสงสัยว่า คนเราเนี่ยจะหลงลืมความเป็นเพื่อนมนุษย์ด้วยกันได้ถึงขนาดนี้เชียวหรอ
มันทำให้ผมนึกถึงประโยคหนึ่งในเรื่อง Dexter ที่ว่า "ถ้าคุณศรัทธาในทางที่ผิดแล้วล่ะก็หายนะ"
เอาเป็น 2.5 ดาวล่ะกัน
December 4, 2020
Very informative. I had no idea of the medical/scientific experiments that the Nazi implemented at the expense of those people held in Concentration Camps. From contracting malaria to cold water immersion and high-altitude oxygen deprivation - to name just a few. What was the justification for the Nazis to do so - was it just cruelty or were there ulterior motives? You'll need to read the book to find out.
June 22, 2019
This was honestly probably one of the hardest books I’ve ever read. While I wish there were more details about the crimes, at the same time I don’t think I would have been able to finish it if there were.
February 17, 2022
It's very difficult. But a lot of history that I didn't know. Such evil! I hope and pray it never happens again. But we need to know how these things happened in the past so that they don't happen again.
June 26, 2018
A book that must be read by everyone.
January 14, 2021
This was a difficult but important book. We can never forget.
November 1, 2021
This was hard to listen to because of the content, but it was still a very necessary listen. It started out a little slow but picked up the pace. I'm glad I listened.
May 15, 2025
DOCTORS FROM HELL is the book I’d been seeking, interested in learning more about the horrific “medical” “research” used to torture Holocaust victims. Part memoir, Vivien Spitz, the youngest court reporter during the Nuremberg Trials, chronicles her training, court records and the aftermath of the year that she carried with her for the remainder of her life.
Although some of the experiments had a basis in helping society, the manner in which they were performed was meant to cause the greatest harm to the “patients”, which often included torture before death. If subjects didn’t die, they were sometimes killed anyway.
DOCTORS FROM HELL is a difficult audiobook listen. I often listen to nonfiction to fall asleep, but this one crept into my dreams so I had to listen earlier in the day. International standards for humans participating in clinical trials were strengthened, likely the only non-negative aspect of this horrific torture. I’m not going to list what the medical criminals did, you can look at the table of contents if you’re interested. Only know that it’s probably worse than you can imagine.
Why do I listen to these horrific, graphic stories of the Holocaust? Because the victims deserve to have their stories heard. If I had been one, I wouldn’t want what happened to me to be forgotten.
Although some of the experiments had a basis in helping society, the manner in which they were performed was meant to cause the greatest harm to the “patients”, which often included torture before death. If subjects didn’t die, they were sometimes killed anyway.
DOCTORS FROM HELL is a difficult audiobook listen. I often listen to nonfiction to fall asleep, but this one crept into my dreams so I had to listen earlier in the day. International standards for humans participating in clinical trials were strengthened, likely the only non-negative aspect of this horrific torture. I’m not going to list what the medical criminals did, you can look at the table of contents if you’re interested. Only know that it’s probably worse than you can imagine.
Why do I listen to these horrific, graphic stories of the Holocaust? Because the victims deserve to have their stories heard. If I had been one, I wouldn’t want what happened to me to be forgotten.
Read
August 3, 2021พอจะทราบเบสิกเรื่องราวมาแล้วบ้างจากที่ศึกษาประวัติศาสตร์มา
และยิ่งพอได้เรียน ethic ก่อนทำวิจัยก็ได้เห็นผ่านๆ เรื่อง nuremberg code หลังจากอ่านเล่มนี้ได้เข้าใจว่าทำไมมันถึงสำคัญมากๆ
เมื่อคนเรามองคนไม่เท่ากัน มองคนเป็นแค่สัตว์ทดลอง เพื่อให้ได้ผลกับฝ่ายตัวเอง มันง่ายมากๆที่จะทำอะไรที่โหดร้ายกับฝ่ายตรงข้ามได้ขนาดนี้ ละเว้นซึ่งมนุษยธรรม
คนเขียนเล่าถึงประสบการณ์ทั้งก่อนและตอนกำลังไปเป็นชวเลขในการบังคับคดี เป็นพาร์ทที่ได้เห็นบรรยากาศในช่วงนั้น ลองเปิดเพลงที่ผู้เขียนได้เมนชั่นไว้ตามก็รู้สึกอินตามได้ไม่ยาก
เสียดายอย่างเดียวคือผู้แปลนั้นแปลชื่อภาษาอังกฤษของตัวบุคคลและสถานที่เป็นภาษาไทยหมดเลย ทำให้เวลาไปค้นคว้าเพิ่มนั้นค่อนข้างยาก ต้องเดาๆเอา ซึ่งยาก เพราะเป็นชื่อเยอรมัน
แปลกที่ไม่มีกล่าวถึงเมงเกลเท่าไหร่ในเล่มนี้
และยิ่งพอได้เรียน ethic ก่อนทำวิจัยก็ได้เห็นผ่านๆ เรื่อง nuremberg code หลังจากอ่านเล่มนี้ได้เข้าใจว่าทำไมมันถึงสำคัญมากๆ
เมื่อคนเรามองคนไม่เท่ากัน มองคนเป็นแค่สัตว์ทดลอง เพื่อให้ได้ผลกับฝ่ายตัวเอง มันง่ายมากๆที่จะทำอะไรที่โหดร้ายกับฝ่ายตรงข้ามได้ขนาดนี้ ละเว้นซึ่งมนุษยธรรม
คนเขียนเล่าถึงประสบการณ์ทั้งก่อนและตอนกำลังไปเป็นชวเลขในการบังคับคดี เป็นพาร์ทที่ได้เห็นบรรยากาศในช่วงนั้น ลองเปิดเพลงที่ผู้เขียนได้เมนชั่นไว้ตามก็รู้สึกอินตามได้ไม่ยาก
เสียดายอย่างเดียวคือผู้แปลนั้นแปลชื่อภาษาอังกฤษของตัวบุคคลและสถานที่เป็นภาษาไทยหมดเลย ทำให้เวลาไปค้นคว้าเพิ่มนั้นค่อนข้างยาก ต้องเดาๆเอา ซึ่งยาก เพราะเป็นชื่อเยอรมัน
แปลกที่ไม่มีกล่าวถึงเมงเกลเท่าไหร่ในเล่มนี้
March 1, 2025
An unspeakably ghastly read as expected. It was soul wrenching. It made me seethe with anger with regard to the sinister evil that is fascism. It made me cry angry tears. The resilience and the sentiments which followed, both from the survivors and those who never made it out, moved me beyond words.
The experiments were far more ghastly than I ever could have imagined.
But as heavy as the emotional lifting was for such a reading, it was necessary to do so.
This memoir of a court reporter at the Nuremberg trial should be a required reading for every person.
May each and every precious soul who underwent these hellish terrors (and the memory of their sufferings) be honored, grasped and remembered by us all. Men, women and children of whom the world was not worthy of.
Selah.
The experiments were far more ghastly than I ever could have imagined.
But as heavy as the emotional lifting was for such a reading, it was necessary to do so.
This memoir of a court reporter at the Nuremberg trial should be a required reading for every person.
May each and every precious soul who underwent these hellish terrors (and the memory of their sufferings) be honored, grasped and remembered by us all. Men, women and children of whom the world was not worthy of.
Selah.
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