JUDGE SEBRING: Mr. McHaney, does the prosecution assert to this Tribunal that it has placed in evidence only such excerpts from these reports as it, in good faith, believes is material to the issue, and as correctly reflecting the attitude of this group concerning the point in issue?
MR. McHANEY: Yes indeed, Your Honor. We have expended as much time as we can in reviewing these volumes as carefully as we can. Of course, from the viewpoint of the prosecution, we have extracted everything which we think is pertinent to the prosecution's case. As I state, there are a great number of matters dealt with in these volumes which concern other medical research -other medical activities -- of the military medical officers in Germany. The meetings as I understand it, the meeting consisted of a number of groups of doctors, divided according to the activity in which they were particularly interested -- hygiene, for instance -- surgery is another example -- an before these groups, reports would be made by doctors who had been commissioned to carry out certain medical tasks.
These reports would then be digested and included in these reports, and, in turn, of course, medical instructions as issued by various branches of the Wehrmacht would be based, to a substantial degree, upon those reports. For instance, "How to treat people who are severely frozen." Instructions would be issued based upon research as called out, for example, by Rascher, Holzloehner and Finke in Dachau, and, as the evidence will show, Holzloehner made a report to the meeting of the Military Medical Academy, in December 1942, about the experiments in Dachau. We have extracted only those portions which we think are, pertinent to, our case.
JUDGE SEBRING: I don't know that you catch my point. Have you extracted only such portions as you think were favorable to the attitude of the prosecution or can you assert that you have all material portions bearing upon the issue at hand, whether they may appear favorable for the prosecution or for the defendants?
MR. McHANEY: If I understand your point, we have extracted all matters for example, dealing with the sulfanilamide experiments, as carried out by Gebhardt, Fischer and Oberheuser. We did not pick out part of the report herein contained on the sulfanilamide experiments at Ravensbrueck and take only part of that, and not extract at all. Now then, there may have been other reports on other sulfanilamide experiments, unrelated to these, which were reported at the same meeting, and which we would not extract. I give that as an example. I don't know that there were. I do know that there were other talks, for example, on cold problems, at the meeting in December of 1942. We extracted only that portion of the cold report as given by Holzloehner because that is the only matter on cold with which this trial is concerned. I think there were other talks by other people, on methods of treating exposure to cold.
DR. NELTE: Mr. President, I believe that I have understood Mr. McHaney correctly, if he states that he has only selected and presented these excerpts which, in his opinion or in the opinion of the prosecution, would serve in sustaining the accusations, and of those which can also serve for the defense; that is, in this case, for the realization of the proper importance of all the actions which were committed. A brief review of the excerpts which ** to be presented will show that not even the excerpts show completely the discussions and speeches, but that, from these reports, only individual sections were selected, of which it is believe that they would serve in sustaining the accusations.
But just these excerpts from reports prevent that the entire impression of these meetings can be translated to the Tribunsl. If, in this case, there are only individual actions concerned, then perhaps I could understand the point of view of the prosecution. However, just in the case of these reports of the meetings, the supposed conspiracy and the alleged conspiracy is involved, and allegedly, typical meetings of conspirators, who are planning medical crimes, but this accusation which is the first you will not be able to get the proper impression if you do not only hear individual excerpts or individual reports, but if you are presented with the meetings in their entirety. And it is for this reason that I request that I be permitted to present all the records of the meetings, so I may assume that the prosecution has not accidentally referred to the parts of the excerpts which can be used in sustaining the accusation, but this can only happen if all the reports of the meetings have been read and translated.
Therefore, there must be translations of the records of these meetings. And, therefore, I have pointed to the Aero-Medical Center in Heidelberg, where these reports of the meetings were being kept. I am certain that translations of these documents can be found.
BY THE PRESIDENT:
These four volumes of the printed report will be made available to the counsel for the defendants; they may read them and study them. If Counsel for the Defense are of the opinion that the translations offered are incorrect or incomplete, or in any matter imperfect and does not express the true s****** the meaning, counsel for the defendants may present that matter to the Tribunal. Upon the opening of the defendants' trial, counsel for the defense may offer in evidence any further translations of these document which they desire to offer and which are pertinent to the inquiry before the Tribunal. The Tribunal would not direct this burden of translating all these four volumes of reports; unless some reason appears certain portions of them should not be translated. If translations in English Language of these volumes exists, and can be made available, that might be done, out whether such translations exist or not, of course, the Tribunal is not advised. Part of the defendants' own case, in representing their defense, is in the presentation of evidence and portions of reports which they deem to be material to it, and they should throw some light on the situation to the defense counsel. Does that answer Counsel's question?
DR. NELTE: May I ask tho President one question? If it should be possible for me to find these four volumes of the report and have them made available by friends of the defendants, would I then get the approval of the Tribunal, if I should offer it as evidence in its entirety?
THE PRESIDENT: The Tribunal will not be inclined to admit in evidence four printed volumes in the German language, but counsel, the volumes being available to him, can of course read and study them to any extent which he desires, and then may offer in evidence any portions of the documents, *r*** lated in the English language, which he deems pertinent to his case. Of course it is manifest to everybody that these volumes contain much material which would be entirely immaterial to the matter now pending before this Tri bunal. It seems to the Tribunal, if the Counsel has these volumes available to him, which we are sure they will be, upon reading those volumes he can make portions of it, or improper translations, or incomplete, or that do not c***** or convey the true sense of the meaning, remedy is available to him of offering supplemental or more complete translations on any of the extracts from these documents which he deems pertinent to his case, but it would not permit entry of four printed volumes in the German language, a large proportion of which would manifestly be immaterial to this inquiry.
BY MR. McHANEY:
The first excerpt is Document NO-921, which will be Prosecution's Exhibit No. 434, and it is from the Military Medical Academy meeting hold on 18 and 19 May, 1942. We have here only a very short excerpt concerning a report made by the defendant -
JUDGE SEBRING: Where do you find that date?
MR. McHANEY: It is not on the copy; it was left off.
THE PRESIDENT: It is important for Defense Counsel to know the date and page of the document.
MR. McHANEY: It is on page 76 of the original; I will pass it up to the Tribunal; the second name from the top. The date is on the front of the booklet.
JUDGE SEBRING: Is the date 19 May, 1942, or 18, 19, or does that purport to cover everything in that book?
MR. McHANEY: Yes, that is correct, your Honor. That is a report on the meeting held on those two dates and it is a summary of talks and papers submitted to that meeting. This excerpt is not offered on the ground that the matters here reported are purely criminal. I will read it first: "Mrugowsky indicates that, according to his investigations, Shiga seems only to appear in Southern Russia, but this may change again. Protective vaccinations against dysentery, as performed on 12,400 individuals in concentration camps, proved the complete inefficacy of the absorbat-vaccine from the Behring works, but dysbacta administered to 11,000 individuals and the vaccing of the Saechsische Serum Worke administered to 8,000 as well as dysperos administered to 4,000 individuals had a very good effect. Success was only judged though, on the basis of whether or not an epidemic in a camp stopped or continued.
Asid-vaccine was not tested. Phagen (Behring works) was administered to 12,000 individuals three times 10 cubic centimeters a fortnight, with very good results." We simply submit this to snow that it was reported at these meetings that various vaccines and experiments were being carried out on concentration camp inmates, and here they mention a very large number. We do not offer this to show that the particular matter with which they are dealing was a criminal experiment; I don't know. It appears they were simply testing vaccine. We offer it simply to show that the report was mane that they were testing vaccine as a matter of course on concentration camp inmates on a very large scale.
The next document, NO-922, which is a report on the second meeting of the consulting physicians is from:
BY THE PRESIDENT:
The Tribunal will recess for a few moments.
THE MARSHAL: The Tribunal is again in session.
THE PRESIDENT: Before proceeding, Mr. McHaney, I desire to read some matters into the record. The Tribunal has received the following:
"28 June.
"Defendant Oberheuser is suffering from anal fissures. She is being treated now and it is very likely that she will be able to attend court tomorrow or the next day."
"Mr. Roska, 1st Lieutenant, Medical Corps, Prison Physician" I have also received the following:
"Nurnberg, January 23, 1947 "Horst Pelckmann, Attorney-st-Law, Defense Counsel for Dr. Schaefer.
"Mr. President, Military Tribunal I, Secretary General, Nurnberg.
Mr. President:
"Owing to proceedings in Kempten (Bavaria) which cannot be posponed because important witnesses have to go back to the United States, I am unfortunately prevented from presenting the opening statement myself during the dates 28 - 31 January. I entrusted this to my collaborator, Herr Rauschenbach.
"I kindly request you to excuse my absence from the sessions."
(signed) "Pelckmann" These matters have been noted for the record, the original documents filed with the Secretary General.
The Prosecution may proceed.
MR. MC HANEY: The next document is NO-922, which will be Prosecution Exhibit 435. This is a partial translation of the report on the 2nd Meeting East of Consulting Physicians, from 30 November to 3 December 1942, at the Medical Academy, Berlin. The first part of the excerpt which I wish to read is the foreword contained in the report written by the Defendant Handloeser. It roads as follows:
"From 30 November to 3 December 1942, the '2nd Work Conference East' took place in Berlin. The conference was held for the first time under the sponsorship of the Wehrmacht and combined leading medical officers, consultant doctors, and specialists from, all branches of the Wehrmacht, as well as Waffen SS and organizations and associations attached or subordinate to the Wehrmacht.
"As in the First Work Conference East in May 1942, the object was to carry out, within small groups of consultant physicians of various special branches, a study of the recently decreed medical conclusions and directives in the sphere of medical science. The second winter of war on the Eastern Front was before us. It was thus essential that during this conference also, urgent problems which arose out of the experiences of the first winter on the Eastern Front, be discussed. As a result of the participation of numerous medical officers and consulting physicians of all branches of the Wehrmacht as well as the Waffen SS and organizations and associations connected with and subordinated to the Wehrmacht, the scientific conferences were particularly stimulated, especially in relation to those subjects concerning which a solution to certain scientific problems resulting from the peculiarity of the service conditions within the various branches of the Wehrmacht, was found.
"The cooperation of the specialist on internal medicine with physiological Chemical Institute of the Military Medical Academy resulted in valuable conclusions which require special mention and which are of particular importance to the diet of soldiers in peace and war, regarding scurvy. These conclusions showed that our opinions concerning malnutrition require revision, particularly in regard to those in the form of hypovitaminoses.
"The world wide character of this war, tho various climates in which combat of greatest proportions is being carried on, have more and more drawn the geo-medical point of view into the field of debate. Tropical diseases, where they appear, have come to be recognized by the troop doctors and have entered the realm of research by consultants in regard to their importance, diagnosis and clinical treatment.
"Thus this conference brought about the treatment of many and various problems. In certain respects, in its diversity, it reflects the events of the war in 1942, which took place on the lands of three continents.
"The notes on the contributions and discussions had to be shortened. They are herewith handed to the leading medical officers and all of the consulting physicians. Where the guiding principles, which were worked out on the various themes, require alteration in the existing information leaflets of the require alteration in the existing information leaflets of the H. DV. 209; this will be taken into account in later publications of the leaflets. The publication of cover notes is not intended, especially since essential changes are not found necessary as a result of the conference. Action should already new be taken in accordance with the conclusions reached at the conference, providing no fundamental organization changes are required.
"The army group doctors, the Army doctors, leading medical officers, as well as conlting physicians, will devote their attention particularly to the partical application of the scientific conclusions reached at the conference. A small number of booklets is enclosed for the large army hospitals."
This little foreword indicates that the research, which was being carried out under the auspices of the Wehrmacht and reports of which were made to the Military Medical Academy were not ship-shape matters, but things which required the closest scrutiny and attention of Dr. Handloser himself, because, on the basis of this, research instructions and orders were issued according to which various patients of the army, navy, air force, etc.
, were to be treated. This foreword is signed by Dr. Handloser.
Following that we have an address by the Chief of the Medical Services of the Wehrmacht, whom of course was the Defendant Handloser and it reads as follows:
"Gentlemen: The demands and extent of this total war, as well as the relationship between needs and availability of personnel and material, require measures, also in military and medical fields, which will serve the unification and unified leadership. It is not a question of 'marching separately and battling together', but marching and battling must be done in unison from the beginning in all fields.
"As a result, as concerns the military sector, tho Wehrmacht medical service and with it the Chief of the Medical Services of the Wehrmacht came into being. Not only in matters of personnel and material -- oven as far as this is possible in view of special fields and special tasks, which must be considered -- but also with a view to medical scientific education and research, our path in the Wehrmacht Medical Service must and will be a unified one. Accordingly, the group of participants in this Second Work Conference East, which I have now opened, is differently composed from the First Work Conference in May of this year. Then it was a conference of the army; today the three branches of the Wehrmacht, the Waffen SS and Police, the Labor Service and tho Organization Todt are participating and unified.
"Gentleman: You will surely permit that I greet you with a general welcome and with tho sincere wish that our common work may be blessed with the hoped for joint success.
"I would, however, like to extend a special greeting to the Reich Chief of Health Service, Under Secretary Conti, who holds the central leadership of medical services in the civilian sector. I see in his presence not only an interest in our work themes, but the expression of his connection with the Wehrmacht Medical Service and his understanding of the special importance of the Wehrmacht in the field as well as well as at home. I need not emphasize that we are as one in the recognition of the necessity to assure and case the mind of the soldiers that he need not worry about the physical well-being of the homeland as far as this is within the realm of possibility in wartime/
"In consideration of the enlarged composition of today's group of participants, a short review of the fields covered by former war conferences is required.
"January 1942.
"Care of wounds, infection of wounds.
"Blood transusions under combat conditions.
"Injuries caused by chemical warfare agents.
"Dysentery.
"Neurosis, psych-pathology and organic ailments.
"Transportation of wounded.
"October 1940.
"Gas odema; prophylaxis and therapy.
"December 1940.
"Protective vaccinations: typhus, dysentery, combined vaccination."
I would like to remark parenthetically that as early as December of 1940 they were interested in typhus vaccinations and the Tribunal will recall that the so-called Commission on Typhus met in December of 1941 and set up the experimental series, which were carried out during the following four years at Buchenwald.
"May 1942.
"1. Work Conference East.
"Experiences, which the war in the East, the expanse of the Russian territories, the cultural conditions in Soviet Russia and its population, the relatively limited means of communication in Easter Europe and, last but not least, the always present danger of diseases which may sweep in from the Asiatic area, but in particular which the Russian winter sent us, make it necessary that the following themes be considered at this Work Conference East:
"Amputation technique - brain wounds and their care.
"Coordination of neurology and surgery.
"Chemo-therapy on wound infections.
"Transportation of wounded.
"Typhus, Wolhynia fever, recurrent fever.
"Bacillary and amebic dysentery. Typhoid.
"Diptheria. Tularemia.
"Acute nephritis.
"Freezing.
"Lowering of resistance.
"Handling of psychic reactions.
"Sulfonamide treatment of neurological ailments.
"Now, it is interesting to consider the themes of today's conference necessitated through the further development and the continuation of the hard war in the East.
"As concerns surgery questions and experiences are concerned with the field of abdominal surgery, the treatment of lung shots, jaw shots, shots in joints, fractures of the thigh and the surgical treatment of severe freezing. the internists put hepatitis epidemica and war nephritis in the foreground.
"Of course tuberculosis requires greater attention in the fourth year of the war. Dermatologists and forensic medical men have been newly added since the last conference. The dermatologists, not because venereal diseases have particularly increased, which happily is not the case, but their work will be essentially in connection with questions concerning care after freezing. The forensic medical men have particularly weighty tasks. Their work, which is a necessary support for legal findings, is naturally of greater importance in the fourth year of the war than it was formerly. Their impending placement within the army groups will require special handling. The work of the hygienists and trophical-disease hygienists will be concerned, among other things, with wounds, diptheria and malaria.
Oberkriegsarzt Professor Kliewe will inform you about the necessary knowledge of particular, until now never discussed, preparations of our enemies."
That, if it please the Tribunal, is a reference I submit with reference to biological warfare, as you will recall that Kliewe's name appeared on several Documents concerning biological warfare.
"The pharmacologists, who were not represented at the previous Pork Conference, have again been called into service, since it is vital in the fourth year of war to recall essential questions concerning the treatment of injuries through chemicals."
That being in reference to Chemical warfare.
The tuberculosis specialists are also newcomers. Fundamentally they work together with the pathologists and physicians. Careful pertinent examinations, which have been carried out during the war, have thrown much light on tuberculosis among colored people, who formerly had seldom or never come into contact with the disease, as also on the effects of war conditions on the development of lung tuberculosis among our soldiers and, in close connection therewith, the problems of reduced effectiveness of personnel and the evaluation of matters of previsions are extremely important and will be discussed.
"The war has led our troops into places, which present many problems in deserts and salt steppes, in regard to the possibility of water supplies for large masses of people. Chemical testing of water and storage of drinking water have necessitated special arrangements for this purpose. But the evaluation of foodstuffs from the point of view of chemical nutrimont, qualitative and quantitative examination also become important when one remembers the many various maintenance difficulties which are brought about by the great distance from the homeland of the theaters of war, the limited means of transportation, and the climatic influence of heat and cold. Of particular importance is the question of the value of prepared foods, for example, the question of effective nutrition, the necessity of the classification of foodstuffs in simple form with a view to their qualitative value.
"As during the last Work Conference, all problems will be decided and measures and guiding principles will be established in accordance with present day knowledge. I consider it most important that the basis for orders and regulations in the field of medical science be created among the consulting physicians here in the homeland and outside with the troops at the fronts, and that German medical science be the surer wide basis on which the health operation of the army stands, and in this way does its best to maintenance the combat power of the Wehrmacht.
"Again a Russian winter with all its difficulties and endless dangers lies before us. We enter it better fortified than last year. We are rich in experiences gained during the last year, and it can hardly be more difficult than the winter of 1941-42. Our army is equipped with a winter outfit though out in every detail. The foresighted precautions taken against typhus are particularly extensive. Besides well functioning big delousing institutions numerous similar installations have been erected, which allow for the decentralization of the combatting of lice. We have been successful in greatly increasing the production of typhus vaccine, and now methods have been begun in the production of vaccine which promise even greater accomplishment."
And, I could say that was not done without the experience gained in the pest-hole of Buchenwald.
"The malaria prophylaxis with atabrine has proved itself in every respect and has kept the army at combat strength in particularly malariainfected regions. Rich experiences could be gathered particularly in this field, and the work of general hygienic combating of malaria and establishment of sanitary conditions in the area, which has been carried out during the course of the summer in the malaria regions, is especially extensive. Exhaustive inquiries into the malaria conditions in the various theaters of war were necessary in order to make studies which concern themselves not only with the land but also with people, and which led to the determination of spleen indices in children in the territories in question. The laboratory train and the High Command of the Army, as well as the motorized laboratories of all branches of the Whrmacht, and the malaria education troops, together with the consulting physicians, have performed distinguished work, the worth of which will be of value to the indigenous populace in the areas in question long after this war.
"The combating of diseases in the various theaters of war has brought about special accomplishments. Its basis had to be medical topography. The first part of the recently published disease atlas will encompass all territories which might conceivably come into consideration as theaters of war. It will be placed at the disposal of all branches concerned as a basis for their work. If, for obvious reasons, it is to be withheld from open sale for the present, it will nevertheless be placed at the disposal of German universities and clinics at this time as a means of education of the students, and thereby as a preparation for their future war tasks. In war the soldier has to look forward; also the doctor who is part of the Wehrmacht as a soldier. After three years of war, however, I had to look back, particularly before this group and review the work of the past year. A deep-rooted understanding must exist of the peculiarities inherent in medical science and soldierly ways. The paths which soldier and doctor must take can be very different in the medical officer the necessary synthesis must be found so that the never-varying goal may be reached in the quickest way."
That is not, in fact, the end of the speech made by Handloser at this meeting of the Military Medical Academy in December of 1942.
It continues two pages beyond where I have just left off. You see page 8 of original at the top continued over on the next page and ends at the top of what is noted at the bottom as page 3. This translation has been very poorly put together. However, I shall not read this last portion of the speech but will instead go to what is noted as page 3 of this translation.
Does the Tribunal find that? The pagination is at the bottom of the page in the middle of page 3 which is on page 48 of the original document. We have extracted a synopsis and a report given by Stabsarzt Professor Holzloehner. The Tribunal will recall that Holzloehner was the man who cooperated with Rascher and Finke in carrying out the freezing experiments in Dachau, and they took place during the late autumn and early winter of 1942, and here Dr. Holzloehner is making a report in December 1942 on the results of his experiments at Dachau. Holzloehner was a doctor of the Luftwaffe. The extract is headed "Prevention and Treatment of Freezing."
"In case of freezing in water of a temperature below 15°, biological, countermeasures are practically ineffective, whether in the case of human beings or animals. Human beings succumb to reflectory rigidity, increase of blood sugar and acidosis, at an earlier stage and to a greater extent than animals. At a rectal temperature of below 30° under such conditions of distress at sea auricular flutter regularly sets in; at under 28° heartfailure frequently occurs in human beings. (Over-exertion due to unequal distribution of blood, increased resistance and increased viscosity.) Treatment with drugs is senseless and has no effect. In the cases of human beings best results are also achieved with hot baths. The foam-suit was developed as a prophylaxis against freezing in water below 15°."
Of course, it is impossible to know precisely what Holzloehner said in his talk before the Military Medical Academy on freezing, but we submit that even from this short paragraph which was reported in the book, that it must have been apparent to those who were listening to Holzloehner's report that he had in fact carried out experiments on living human beings. He gives rather detailed clinical observations here, even going to the extent of stating the temperature at which a man will die.
I submit that it must have been known to those men that experiments were carried out, even if Holzloehner said little more than this one paragraph digest we have of his talk.
Below that extract of the report given by Holzloehner we have comments made by Handloser, Bremer, Hippke, Jarisch and Buechner. Hippke, Jarisch, and I think, Buechner were certainly all doctors of the Luftwaffe and the Tribunal will recall that Hippke was the very man who, together with Milch, commissioned these freezing experiments on the part of Rascher, Holzloehner and Finke, who at that time were all Luftwaffe doctors. So I submit also that the presence of Dr. Hippke, Dr. Jarisch, who was also suggested by Hippke to cooperate in those experiments, and Buechner, shows that we have a number of men present at this meeting who very well knew the manner in which these experiments were carried out at Dachau.
I do not want the Court to understand that these remarks by Holzloehner, Bremer, Hippke, and so forth were specifically directed to the talk given by Holzloehner. In addition to Holzloehner's talk on freezing problems an additional report was given by Oberfeldarzt Professor Schulz, Professor Lendle, and after those three papers were read, apparently then came the comments by Handloser and the other men.
The extract on Handloser's comments reads:
"Handloser stresses the extraordinary importance of education also in combating cold effects and appeals to all medical officers, in their capacity as leaders of the health service, to see to it that through ever repeated explanations each individual is taught to observe the necessary precautionary measures."
Bremer said: "The importance of the status sysraphicus, which very often is the cause of constitutional susceptibility to freezing of the extremities is pointed out." And then he continues with comments on frostbite.
Hippke said: "In all cases of injury to the general healthy through freezing it is important to follow up the administering of a hot bath and the restoration of the normal functioning of the skin with body massage, heart remedies are unreliable, likewise other remedies. It is difficult to determine the intensity of short wave treatment."
And, of course, Hippke's comment is based upon the report made by Rascher, Holzloehner and Finke who had tested these various methods of rewarming, such as the hot baths, body massage, heart remedies with drugs and also this short wave treatment.
I turn now to page 11 where, under the heading "Hepatitis contagiosa (epidemica)" we find a report by Oberfeldarzt Professor Gutzeit.
THE PRESIDENT: The pages in these documents are not numbered.
MR. MC HANEY: You do not find page 11? At the bottom of the page, in the middle.
THE PRESIDENT: I have found that. I will ask now is it the purpose of the Prosecution to make this into a document book and number the document book?
MR. MC HANEY: No sir, we probably shall not put the documents which I am now submitting into a document book. I would suggest that they be kept in the folder which has been furnished the Tribunal and simply insert the exhibit numbers on the top of each document.
The Tribunal will recall that in the proof on the epidemic jaundice experiments that the name of Gutzeit was mentioned, or I think he signed a letter which went into evidence concerning certain hepatitis epidemica experiments. You will also recall that Dr. Dohmen carried out experiments in the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp under the direction of the defendant Brandt.
I simply wish to point out that in the last paragraph of this talk by Gutzoit on epidemic jaundice, that is to say, on Page 15 -- that is the last page of this document -- he says:
"I shall not discuss the pathological anatomical as well as the current etiological research which was carried out by my collaborators Oberarzt Dr. Voogt and Oberarzt Dr. Dohmen by means of liver punctures and animal passages."
This excerpt we submitted simply to show the close relationship and collaboration between particularly Gutzeit and Dohmen and derivatively the Defendant, Brandt.
I turn now to Document NO-923 which will be Prosecution Exhibit 436. This document contains excerpts from the report on the Third Meeting Last of Consulting Specialists held on 24 to 26 May 1943 at the Military Medical Academy, Berlin. On page 43 of the original we find the much-discussed report made by Gebhardt and Fischer on the sulfanilamide experiments carried out at Ravensbrueck. It reads as follows:
"SS Gruppenfuehere, Lt. General Professor Gebhardt and F. Fischer: Special experiments on effects of sulfanilamide. Conclusions: (1) Suppuration of the soft parts of the body caused by bacteria cannot be prevented even by immediate administration of sulfanilamide. (2) The course of the inflammatory disease of aerobic producers of abcesses and phlegmons could not be demonstrably influnced by sulfanilamide. Combined treatment of gasgangrene made the impression of causing an easier course under the influence of sulfanilamide. (3) Surgery continues to be necessary in the control of inflammations. Supplementary notes: Powdering of wounds with S.A. powder may be detrimental if as a result fundamental laws of surgery are violated; for example, if the basic layer of powder does not dissolve in the liquid of the tissue and binders the discharge of secretions by clotting.