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b. Selection from the
Argumentation of the Prosecution
EXTRACT FROM THE CLOSING BRIEF
AGAINST DEFENDANT GEBHARDT
Bone, Muscle, and Nerve
Regeneration, and Bone Transplantation Experiments
These experiments were carried out
in the Ravensbrueck concentration camp during the same period of time and on
the same group of Polish inmates as the sulfanilamide experiments. (Tr. p.
1458.)
The defendant Fischer made the
following statement about these experiments in his affidavit:
"After the arrival of
Doctor Stumpfegger from general headquarters in the fall of 1942, Professor
Gebhardt declared before some of his co-workers that he had received orders to
continue with the tests at Ravensbrueck on a larger scale. In this connection,
questions of plastic surgery which would be of interest after the end of the
war should be clarified. Doctor Stumpfegger was supposed to test the free
transplantation of bones. Since Professor Gebhardt knew that I had worked in
preparation for my habilitation at the university on regeneration of tissues,
he ordered me to prepare a surgical plan for these operations, which, after it
had been approved he directed me to carry out immediately. Moreover, Doctor
Koller and Doctor Reissmayer were ordered to perform their own series of
experiments. Professor Gebhardt was also considering a plan to form the basis
of an operative technique of remobilization of joints. Besides the above,
Doctors Schulze and Schulze-Hagen participated in this conference.
"Since I knew Ravensbrueck I was ordered to introduce
the new doctors named above to the camp physician. I was specially directed to
assist Doctor Stumpfegger, since, as physician on the staff of Himmler, he
would probably be absent from time to time.
"I had selected the
regeneration of muscles for the sole reason because the incision necessary for
this purpose was the smallest. The operation was carried out as follows:
"Evipan and ether were used as
an anaesthetic, and a 5 centimeter longitudinal incision was made at the outer
side of the upper leg. Subsequent to the cutting through the fascia, a piece of
muscle was removed which was the size of the cup of the little finger. The
fascia and skin were enclosed in accordance with the normal technique of
aseptic surgery. Afterwards a cast was applied. After 1 week the skin wound was
split under the same narcotic conditions and the part of the muscle around the
area cut out was removed.
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