The Holocaust was a dark period in history that left many scars on humanity. The suffering endured by Jews (and others deemed “undesirable”) during this time was unspeakable, and only now are historians discovering what horrors truly happened within the concentration camps. Experimentation on prisoners (including children) was commonplace. People were forced to participate in various trials to further the German army in combat situations or to improve the quality of weapons.
Typically, the experimentation resulted in death, disfiguration, or permanent disability. Examples of the experiments included the following: head injuries, experiments on twin children, infecting with Malaria, bone and nerve transplantation, ingesting of poison, and exposure to freezing water. In the freezing experiments, doctors were attempting to find ways to prevent and treat hypothermia. Some prisoners were forced to be submerged in a tank of ice water for up to five hours at a time; others were left outside naked in temperatures of 21ºF.
The doctors recorded how bodies reacted to the freezing temperatures, and the results helped the Germans prepare for cold temperatures they faced while fighting on the Eastern Front. It is estimated that over 100 people were killed during the freezing experiments. The results obtained from the torture are used by doctors today to help treat patients with hypothermia.