Hans Eppinger
Encyclopedia
Hans Eppinger Jr. was an Austria
n physician who gained an infamous reputation due to experiments on prisoners.
, the son of the physician Hans Eppinger Sr. He received an education in Graz
and Strasbourg
. In 1903 he became a medical doctor in Graz
, working at a medical clinic. He moved to Vienna
in 1908, and in 1909 he specialized in internal medicine, particularly conditions of the liver
. He became a professor in 1918, then taught in Freiburg
in 1926 and in Cologne
in 1930.
In 1936 he is known to have travelled to Moscow
to treat Joseph Stalin
. A year later he was called to treat Queen Marie of Romania
.
he gained an infamous reputation due to his experiments on prisoners at the Dachau concentration camp. Along with professor Wilhelm Beigelbock, he performed tests on 90 Gypsy prisoners by providing them sea water as their only source of fluids. (In some cases the taste of the water was disguised to hide the saline
content.) The prisoners suffered from severe dehydration
, and witnesses reported that they had been seen licking the floors they had mopped in an attempt to get some water. The goal of the experiment was to determine if the prisoners would suffer severe physical symptoms or death within a period of 6–12 days.
Following the war he committed suicide
, reportedly using poison
. This occurred a month before he was to be called to testify at the Nuremberg Trials
. Much later it was discovered that he had an unclaimed Swiss bank account.
Since 1970, the Falk Foundation of Freiburg had awarded the Eppinger Prize for outstanding contributions to liver research. However when Dr. Eppinger's activities at Dachau came to light three years later, the prize was cancelled.
In 1976, the lunar
crater
'Euclides D
' was renamed by the IAU to honor Hans Eppinger. However, in 2002, after Eppinger's association with Nazi
prison camps had been brought to the attention of the Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature by the Lunar Republic Society, the name was dropped. As of July 2009, the crater is once again officially listed as Euclides D.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n physician who gained an infamous reputation due to experiments on prisoners.
Early Years
Hans Eppinger was born in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, the son of the physician Hans Eppinger Sr. He received an education in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
and Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. In 1903 he became a medical doctor in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, working at a medical clinic. He moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1908, and in 1909 he specialized in internal medicine, particularly conditions of the liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
. He became a professor in 1918, then taught in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
in 1926 and in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
in 1930.
In 1936 he is known to have travelled to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to treat Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. A year later he was called to treat Queen Marie of Romania
Marie of Edinburgh
Marie of Romania was Queen consort of Romania from 1914 to 1927, as the wife of Ferdinand I of Romania.-Early life:...
.
Experiments at Dachau
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he gained an infamous reputation due to his experiments on prisoners at the Dachau concentration camp. Along with professor Wilhelm Beigelbock, he performed tests on 90 Gypsy prisoners by providing them sea water as their only source of fluids. (In some cases the taste of the water was disguised to hide the saline
Saline
Saline may refer to:* Salinity, the salt content of a solution** Saline water, water containing significant concentration of salts* Soil salinity, salt content of soil* Saline , a liquid with salt content to match the human body...
content.) The prisoners suffered from severe dehydration
Dehydration
In physiology and medicine, dehydration is defined as the excessive loss of body fluid. It is literally the removal of water from an object; however, in physiological terms, it entails a deficiency of fluid within an organism...
, and witnesses reported that they had been seen licking the floors they had mopped in an attempt to get some water. The goal of the experiment was to determine if the prisoners would suffer severe physical symptoms or death within a period of 6–12 days.
Following the war he committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, reportedly using poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
. This occurred a month before he was to be called to testify at the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
. Much later it was discovered that he had an unclaimed Swiss bank account.
Eponymous medical terms
The following medical terms were named after Dr. Eppinger Jr.:- Cauchois-Eppinger-Frugoni syndrome
- Eppinger's spider naevus
Since 1970, the Falk Foundation of Freiburg had awarded the Eppinger Prize for outstanding contributions to liver research. However when Dr. Eppinger's activities at Dachau came to light three years later, the prize was cancelled.
In 1976, the lunar
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
'Euclides D
Euclides (crater)
Euclides is a small lunar impact crater located near the eastern edge of Oceanus Procellarum, about 30 kilometers to the west of the Montes Riphaeus mountains. The mare in the vicinity is devoid of significant craters, but to the west is an area of low rises. The crater is named after the Greek...
' was renamed by the IAU to honor Hans Eppinger. However, in 2002, after Eppinger's association with Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
prison camps had been brought to the attention of the Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature by the Lunar Republic Society, the name was dropped. As of July 2009, the crater is once again officially listed as Euclides D.
External links
- Hans Eppinger at "Who Named It?"
- The Ethics Of Using Medical Data From Nazi Experiments by Baruch C. Cohen.