An online database documenting the fate of thousands of victims who underwent forced medical experiments under the Nazis was launched on Monday by Germany's National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Max Planck Society, a research institute.
The new database includes profiles of about 16,000 confirmed victims of coercive Nazi research, including medical experiments conducted in concentration camps. It also contains more than 13,000 profiles of people whose cases are still under investigation.
According to researchers, this online database is intended to serve as a basis for further studies and analyses. Some parts are accessible to the public, including the names and basic details of the victims' lives.
The database also highlights individual stories to contextualise and humanise the statistics.
Researchers or members of the public wishing to obtain more detailed information, such as medical records or persecution histories, can request it. Relatives of victims can also request complete data sets on their family members.
The database is based on research conducted by Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom, as well as the findings of a Max Planck Society project on neuroscience during the Nazi period.
Founded in 1652, the National Academy of Sciences Loepoldina, based in Halle, represents German science in international forums.
The Max Planck Society manages 84 research institutes and centres and conducts fundamental research in the natural sciences, life sciences and social sciences.
