Dr. Josef Mengele
“The Angel of Death”
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3.16.1911: Born in
Bavaria, Germany
Intelligent, proper,
well-liked in his home
town
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Studied philosophy at
Munich University
Earned doctorate of
Medicine at Frankfurt
University
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1935: Doctoral
dissertation was on
the racial differences
in the structure of the
lower jaw
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1937: Officially joined
the Nazi party
1938: Became a
member of the SS
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1942: Injured in front
lines against Russia
Declared “unfit for
duty”
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Volunteered to work at
concentration camps
Sent to Auschwitz
Became chief
physician
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Decided “death to
the left, life to the
right”
Infamous Experiments
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Very Obsessed with twins
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How long would it take to
bleed to death?
Live dissections
Sewed together identical
twins to make them
conjoined twins
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even joined arteries,
removed organs
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Infamous
Experiments
Castration without
anesthesia
Tested endurance of electric
shock
Tested endurance of
hypothermia
•
How long did it take to
freeze to death?
Infamous
Experiments
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Tested endurance of burns
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What temperatures made
1st, 2nd, & 3rd degree
burns?
Infamous
Experiments
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Tested endurance to
radiation
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Sterilized a group of
Polish nuns with X-Ray
Infamous
Experiments
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How much pressure did it
take to crush a human skull?
Injected chemicals to
change eye color
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Patients were conscious
Infamous
Experiments
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Tested for length of survival
without certain organs
Experimental sex-change
operations
Artificially inseminated
incestuous impregnation
After Camp
Liberation
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Fled to Argentina
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Safe haven for Nazi war
criminals under Juan
Peron
Set up farming equipment
business
Infamous
Experiments
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Moved around to Brazil &
Paraguay to avoid being
caught
1979: Suffered stroke while
swimming in the ocean
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Dead before he was
brought to shore