This article recounts the story of Herta Oberheuser – one of the Nazi doctors who participated in medical experiments on female prisoners at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. The content is for educational and historical documentation only, based on court records, survivor testimonies, and archival materials from the Nuremberg Doctors’ Trial. It does not aim to glorify violence or advocate for any political ideology.
Herta Oberheuser was one of the Nazi doctors and a central figure in the medical crimes committed at the Ravensbrück concentration camp during World War II. She violated the Hippocratic Oath and medical ethics. She deliberately infected prisoners’ wounds, performed unnecessary limb amputations, injected toxic substances directly into veins, and participated in forced abortions. After the war, she was the only female defendant in the Nuremberg Doctors’ Trial. She served less than five years in prison, then tried to resume her medical practice – only to be exposed by survivors. She died in 1978. This is the documented story of her crimes and the legal proceedings at Nuremberg.
1. From a Cologne Girl to an SS Doctor
Herta Oberheuser was born on May 15, 1911, in Cologne, Germany, into a family of doctors. Her father was a physician, and she followed in his footsteps. In 1937, while studying medicine, she joined the Nazi Party. After completing her training, she worked at a small clinic near Düsseldorf.
In 1940, she was appointed as a doctor at Ravensbrück concentration camp – the largest women’s concentration camp in Nazi Germany. Ravensbrück held tens of thousands of prisoners from across Europe, including Jews, Poles, Russians, and female resistance fighters.
2. The Medical Experiments on “Rabbits”
At Ravensbrück, Oberheuser worked under senior SS doctors Karl Gebhardt and Fritz Fischer. She directly participated in a series of medical experiments, primarily on Polish female resistance fighters – whom the SS doctors called “Kanninchen” (rabbits).
The experiments documented in trial records included:
Deliberate bacterial infection of wounds: SS doctors cut deep wounds into prisoners’ legs, then implanted bacteria causing tetanus, gangrene, and other infections. The purpose was to study the effectiveness of sulfonamide drugs. Prisoners were left without pain relief, and many died as a result.
Bone grafting and limb amputation: Doctors removed bones and muscle from prisoners’ legs, then attempted to graft them into other positions without anesthesia. Many prisoners were permanently disabled.
Forced abortion: Oberheuser participated in forced abortions on pregnant prisoners. Babies born in the camp were often killed immediately after birth.
Survivor testimonies presented at Nuremberg: One victim, Jadwiga Dzido, testified that Oberheuser performed surgery on her leg without anesthesia. Another, Władysława Karolewska, recounted that Oberheuser removed bone from her leg and left the wound open for weeks, causing severe infection.
3. Use of Toxic Injections
One of Oberheuser’s crimes documented at Nuremberg was that she personally killed prisoners by injecting toxic substances directly into their veins. She later falsely claimed that these killings were “humane acts” to end the victims’ suffering – a claim rejected by the court.
Witnesses testified that Oberheuser showed no remorse when carrying out these acts. She would wear a white coat and mask and administer the injections with clinical detachment.
4. The Nuremberg Trial: The Only Female Defendant
After the war ended, Herta Oberheuser was arrested and brought to trial in the Nuremberg Doctors’ Trial from December 1946 to August 1947. She was the only female defendant among the 20 doctors and SS officers prosecuted.
At trial, Oberheuser claimed she was only following orders and that the experiments were necessary for medical research. She stated: “I am a doctor. I tried to alleviate my patients’ suffering as much as possible.” Her defense was rejected by the tribunal based on survivor testimonies and evidence.
The court convicted Oberheuser of war crimes and crimes against humanity. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
5. Sentence Reduction and Post-War Life
Oberheuser served less than 5 years at the Landsberg war crimes prison before being granted clemency in 1952 by U.S. High Commissioner John J. McCloy. She was released early following lobbying by West German politicians and medical associations.
After her release, Oberheuser attempted to resume her medical practice in Düsseldorf. However, in 1956, local doctors and medical staff discovered her identity after a patient recognized her as the SS doctor from Ravensbrück. Her medical office was boycotted. She was stripped of her medical license in 1958.
Oberheuser lived her final years in isolation. She died on January 24, 1978, in Linz am Rhein, Germany, at age 66.
6. Legacy and Questions of Post-War Justice
The case of Herta Oberheuser raises questions about post-war justice. Court records show that a doctor who participated in torture and murder served less than five years in prison. Historians attribute the early release to the failure of denazification in West Germany and Cold War politics, when the United States and its allies sought German expertise.
Many other SS doctors were also released early and resumed practice in West Germany. The survivors of Oberheuser, the “rabbits” of Ravensbrück, lived with permanent physical and psychological injuries. Many sought justice and compensation for the rest of their lives.
Herta Oberheuser’s name remains in history as a documented example of medical ethics violations under the Nazi regime. She violated the oath to “do no harm.”
Primary Sources:
Nuremberg Doctors’ Trial records (1946–1947), Case 1: U.S. v. Karl Brandt et al.
Ravensbrück survivor testimonies – United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM)
“The Nazi Doctors” – Robert Jay Lifton (1986)
“Ravensbrück: Everyday Life in a Women’s Concentration Camp” – Jack G. Morrison (2000)
U.S. High Commissioner John J. McCloy clemency records (1951–1952)