Hans Wolfgang Sachs (1912–2000)

Der Pathologe, vol. 42, pp. 11–19

Abstract

During the Second World War, the German Wehrmacht and the SS tested various chemical warfare agents on prisoners of concentration camps. The SS needed a pathologist to do this. Therefore, Reichsarzt SS Ernst-Robert Grawitz recruited the 32-year-old Hans Wolfgang Sachs. Despite his position as senior pathologist at the office of the Reichsarzt SS, Sachs was spared interrogation and prosecution after 1945, although the prosecution presented a document about chemical warfare and human experiments during the Nuremberg medical trial. In this, Sachs was named as a participant in so-called "N-Stoff" (chlorine trifluoride) experiments. Little is known about Sachs to this day. This article is intended to close this gap. Of particular interest are the motives and reasons why Sachs joined the party and the SS, as well as his career after 1945.

Authors 5

1. Jens Westemeier Aachen Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University, Wendlingweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany

   Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University Wendlingweg 2, 52074 Aachen, Germany

2. Sebastian Scheib Aachen Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University, Wendlingweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany

   Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University Wendlingweg 2, 52074 Aachen, Germany

3. Hendrik Uhlendahl Aachen Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University, Wendlingweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany

   Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University Wendlingweg 2, 52074 Aachen, Germany

4. Dominik Groß Aachen Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University, Wendlingweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany

   Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University Wendlingweg 2, 52074 Aachen, Germany

5. Mathias Schmidt corresponding Aachen Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University, Wendlingweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany. maschmidt@ukaachen.de

   Institute for History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University, Wendlingweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany