The Nazi symbiosis : human genetics and politics in the Third Reich / Sheila Faith Weiss.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Weiss, Sheila Faith.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Eugenics--Germany--History--20th century.

Eugenics.

Human genetics--Political aspects--Germany--20th century.

Human genetics.

Human genetics--Government policy--Germany--20th century.

Human genetics--Moral and ethical aspects--Germany--20th century.

National socialism and science.

Germany--Politics and government--1933-1945.

Germany.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (392 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chicago ; London : University of Chicago Press, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The Faustian bargain-in which an individual or group collaborates with an evil entity in order to obtain knowledge, power, or material gain-is perhaps best exemplified by the alliance between world-renowned human geneticists and the Nazi state. Under the swastika, German scientists descended into the moral abyss, perpetrating heinous medical crimes at Auschwitz and at euthanasia hospitals. But why did biomedical researchers accept such a bargain? The Nazi Symbiosis offers a nuanced account of the myriad ways human heredity and Nazi politics reinforced each other before and during the Third Reich. Exploring the ethical and professional consequences for the scientists involved as well as the political ramifications for Nazi racial policies, Sheila Faith Weiss places genetics and eugenics in their larger international context. In questioning whether the motives that propelled German geneticists were different from the compromises that researchers from other countries and eras face, Weiss extends her argument into our modern moment, as we confront the promises and perils of genomic medicine today.

Contents:

An old legend and a new legacy

Human heredity and eugenics make their international debut

The devil's directors at Dahlem

The Munich pact

The politics of professional talk

Politicized pedagogy

The international human genetics community faces Nazi Germany

The road not taken elsewhere : was there something unique about human heredity during the Third Reich?

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613058669

9781283058667

1283058669

9780226891798

0226891798

OCLC:

695995067