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Apology, responsibility, memory. Coming to terms with Nazi medical crimes: the example of the Max Planck Society

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Abstract

In June 2001, the then president of the Max Planck Society addressed a formal apology to survivors of Nazi medical crimes. Starting from this ritual of repentance, the paper examines the participants’ diverse views of how to deal with the medical crimes of National Socialism. In comparison with the DGPPN, it asks about possibilities of going beyond historical retrospection to fulfil the imperative of remembrance.

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References

A first longer version with more detailed references is published in German: Sachse C (2011) Was bedeutet “Entschuldigung”? Die Überlebenden der medizinischen NS-Verbrechen und die Max-Planck-Gesellschaft. In: Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte 34, DOI: 10.1002/bewi.201101525 (Mar 18). Copyright Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH + Co. KGaA. Reproduced with permission.

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Conflict of interest

The Author declares that she has no conflict of interest.

This supplement was not sponsored by outside commercial interests. It was funded by the German Association for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (DGPPN).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Zeitgeschichte, Universität Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1, 1090, Wien, Austria

    Carola Sachse

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  1. Carola Sachse
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Correspondence to Carola Sachse.

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Sachse, C. Apology, responsibility, memory. Coming to terms with Nazi medical crimes: the example of the Max Planck Society. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 261 (Suppl 2), 202 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-011-0241-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-011-0241-3

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