The Nuremberg Code Of Ethical Experiments

Introduction
Respectable scientists today agree to the fact that unethical experiments that involve the use of human subjects are unacceptable and must never be undertaken. Despite this there have been deplorable circumstances whereby in the pursuit of certain research, scientists break moral boundaries, often resulting in the death of their subject, who are, more often than not, completely unwilling.
Over the years leading up to and during WWII, the presence of Nazi concentration camps provided Nazi doctors with the opportunity to conduct horrifying medical atrocities on the residents of the camps, overwhelmingly on Jewish people. Although often it was not the case, the overall apparent aim of the researchers was to conduct experiments that …show more content…
These Nuremberg trials played a vitally important role in the initial exploitation of this Nazi medicine, which then progressed to an opportunity to assess both the criminal and ethical issues overwhelmingly violated by the Nazis (Weindling, 2004) as well as resulting in the formation of crucial informed consent for patients or subjects. The overall conclusion of the result of these trials was the Nuremberg code of ethics which caused the development of the foundation of rights for human experimentation, as well as the basic principles behind the use of medical data (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1949). Society has to address the fact that Nazi researchers were guilty of premeditated murder, and although contemporary medicine can very easily condemn these men as criminals, the continued use of the research obtained from the experiments that they conducted needs to be addressed. This is a requirement due to the omnipresence of literature that cites the Nazi data, without providing an in-depth report as to how the data has been …show more content…
There is wide evidence to suggest that the global community were fully aware of the happenings within Nazi Germany, and many stood aside, failing to act quickly and efficiently enough to prevent its horrifying nature. This is due to the complicated political and social nature of our worldwide relationships, and it appears that even now we stand aside while innocent lives are destroyed. Simply looking at the recent atrocities in many countries such as Rwanda, Guatemala, Bosnia and North Korea, highlights the potential for many to stand aside, whilst the guiltless die. Nonetheless, it can be argued that the Holocaust has set the limits for experiments to never be repeated, particularly within many of countries that have signed the Declaration of Helsinki (see Appendix 1) that came directly as a result of the Nuremberg trials, as well as other international pacts for experimental and social guidelines. It should be asked that if it were not for the Holocaust pushing the boundaries of medical research and setting the ethically accepted limits to experiments, is it possible that over a long period of time these medical atrocities may have become the socially accepted norm, reducing overall happiness for many without any potential preventions, due to a lack of clear

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