Do Not Let the Nazis Win

The journal Science had two articles by Heather Pringle in the July 16, 2010 issue (vol. 329, issue 5989) concerning the anatomical samples and illustrations derived from executed Nazi prisoners. Ms. Pringle (pp. 274-275) reported on Pernkopf's Atlas, a premier anatomical atlas that used illustrations from the prisoners and in a more general article discussed the other tissues samples and studies. The general consensus, even though the topic is hotly debated, seems to be that we shouldn't use them anymore because they came from Nazis and to use them shows a disrespect for the victims and possibly can be seen as condoning the actions of the Nazis, thereby making anyone who uses the material accomplices to their murder. This is exemplified by the 2003 actions of the German Medical Council, who recommended that German universities remove from their collections all specimens that came from Nazi victims and bury all human remains.

While I understand their feelings and their wanting to show respect for the victims, I disagree. The anatomists that collected the samples and made the illustrations did not cause the deaths of any of the victims, they merely received the corpses that were made available. These people would have been killed anyway, and more importantly, would have been lost and forgotten about. Yes, some of the anatomists were Nazis and had no problems with the executions. Nevertheless, they created a useful legacy from a pointless, cruel, and unwarranted death. The researchers and students that are using the material now were certainly guiltless in the collections of the samples. Should our society be punished by denying any good that can come from a tragedy, by not allowing use of the knowledge gained from such bloodshed as would have happened anyway?

It seems to me that these samples and illustrations should be properly marked as to who they came from, so that their use will allow those people to continue to live on in a positive manner that will give their deaths more meaning than simply a statistic in the death counts. Are we to deny the victims this consolation? By removing everything that came from them and burying them, it seems to me that we are killing them again. Only this time, we are truly complicit with the Nazis because we are choosing to forget these people rather than honoring them by keeping them alive in the memories of new generations of students and researchers who can create better lives for people in the future. This seems to me the best way to deny the Nazis another victory, by ensuring that their deaths did not erase these people from memory as the Nazis intended.