20 Dec. 45
Surgeon SS and Police will be found in the personal
staff department, as indicated by the second box on the right-hand side
of the line leading down from the personal staff.)
I shall read a few paragraphs from this report, which is a report
prepared by the chief hygienist in the office of the Reich Surgeon of SS
and Police and signed SS Oberführer Dr. Mrugowsky. It relates to
experiments with poison bullets. Beginning with the first paragraph, I
quote:
"On 11 September 1944, in the
presence of SS Sturmbannführer Dr. Ding, Dr. Widmann, and the
undersigned, experiments with aconite nitrate bullets were carried out
on five persons who had been sentenced to death. The caliber of the
bullets used was 7.65 millimeters, and they were filled with poison in
crystal form. Each subject of the experiment received one shot in the
upper part of the left thigh, while In a horizontal position. In the
case of two persons, the bullets passed clean through the upper part
of the thigh. Even later no effect from the poison could be seen.
These two subjects were therefore rejected."
I omit the next few sentences and proceed beginning with Paragraph 3 of
the report:
"The symptoms shown by the three
condemned persons were surprisingly the same. At first, nothing
special was noticeable. After 20 to 25 minutes, a disturbance of the
motor nerves and a light flow of saliva began, but both stopped again.
After 40 to 44 minutes, a strong flow of saliva appeared. The poisoned
persons swallowed frequently; later the flow of saliva is so strong
that it can no longer be controlled by swallowing. Foamy saliva flows
from the mouth. Then a sensation of choking and vomiting starts."
The next three paragraphs describe in coldly scientific fashion the
reactions of the dying persons. The description then continues, and I
want to quote the two paragraphs before the conclusion. It is the last
paragraph on Page 1 of the translation, the sixth paragraph of the
report:
"At the same time there was
pronounced nausea. One of the poisoned persons tried in vain to vomit.
In order to succeed he put four fingers of his hand, up to the main
joint, right into his mouth. In spite of this, no vomiting occurred.
His face became quite red.
"The faces of the other two subjects were already pale at an
early stage. Other symptoms were the same. Later on the disturbances
of the motor nerves increased so much that the persons threw
themselves up and down, rolled their eyes, and made aimless movements
with their hands and arms. At