Execution of Nazi doctor who cried begging for mercy after having killed 1000 people at Dachau JJ
30 January 1933, Germany. Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, is appointed chancellor of Germany and aims to lead the German “master race” to victory in the “racial struggle” against those deemed as “inferior” peoples, especially the Jews. The German medical profession plays a central role in shaping and implementing many Nazi policies, and many doctors and nurses become involved in the regime’s crimes. While some German physicians welcome the Nazi regime because it supports their
beliefs about “racial hygiene,” others join to take advantage of opportunities to advance their careers. One of the doctors willing to sacrifice ethics for scientific progress is a man whose research on malaria and his obsession to find a vaccine will lead to human experimentation on over a thousand prisoners at Dachau concentration camp. His name is Claus Schilling. Claus Karl Schilling was born on 5 July 1871 in Munich, then part of the German Empire. He studied medicine in his home city and earned his degree in 1895. In 1896, he started working as
a general practitioner at the German Hospital in London, a position he held for a few years. After his time in London, Schilling worked as a state medical doctor in Togo and German East Africa, where he became fascinated by malaria. He also conducted research in Papua New Guinea, in an effort to develop a malaria vaccine. Later, he became a professor of parasitology at the University of Berlin and joined the Malaria Commission of the League of Nations. In 1905, he took on the role of director of the tropical medicine department at the Robert Koch Institute,
holding this position until his retirement as a professor in 1936. Schilling’s work gained him widespread respect, and he was regarded as a compassionate and altruistic person. On 30 January 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg. In 1936, at the request of the Italian authorities, the renowned researcher Claus Schilling moved to Italy. The Italian-Ethiopian War, which lasted from October 1935 to May 1936, had left Italian soldiers devastated by a widespread malaria outbreak. The disease,
transmitted by mosquito bites, had severely weakened the troops, leading to high mortality rates. Schilling’s mission in Italy was to develop a vaccine that could prevent future cases. With the support of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, Schilling gained access to psychiatric patients for his experiments. The German Nazi government also backed his work with substantial financial grants. This period marked a significant change in Schilling’s career, when he shifted from a respected researcher
to a morally compromised scientist willing to put human lives at risk for his pursuits. His time in Italy laid the groundwork for later, more controversial wartime activities. The Second World War started on 1 September 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. In November 1941, Schilling met in Rome with German “Reich Health Leader” Leonardo Conti. Acting on the orders of Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, Conti assigned Schilling to continue his experiments aimed at finding a cure for malaria at the Dachau concentration camp.
Dachau was established in March 1933, less than two months after Hitler became the chancellor. Beginning in 1942, German physicians performed medical experiments on prisoners in Dachau. Physicians and scientists from the Luftwaffe – German Air Force – and the German Experimental Institute for Aviation conducted high-altitude and hypothermia experiments, as well as experiments to test methods for making seawater potable. These efforts aimed to aid German pilots who conducted bombing raids or who were downed in icy waters. German scientists also
carried out experiments to test the efficacy of pharmaceuticals against diseases like tuberculosis and malaria. Hundreds of prisoners died or were harmed as a result of these experiments. Starting in February 1942, at over 70 years old, Claus Schilling began his research at the Dachau concentration camp. Although Schilling claimed the research could be conducted harmlessly, the test subjects in Dachau faced brutal and inhumane treatment. One of the methods involved confining their hands and arms in cages filled with malaria-infected mosquitoes.
After exposure, the prisoners were treated with synthetic drugs, administered in doses ranging from high to lethal. Initially, Polish clergymen were primarily victims of these experiments, but a number of German priests were subjected to these cruel procedures as well. One of them was The Reverend Theodore Koch. His testimony after the war shed light on the harrowing details of these trials and the suffering endured by the prisoners. Koch recounted that he and other inmates were sent to a room containing small boxes of
pestilent mosquitoes. Each prisoner was given a box covered with a towel and was required to hold their hands over it for 30 minutes to an hour each day for nearly a week. Additionally, a male nurse placed another mosquito-filled box between their legs while they were in bed for the same duration. Each morning, blood smears would be taken from the prisoners’ earlobes, and temperatures were monitored day and night. Father Koch recalled that he was released after 17 days, only to suffer recurring malaria attacks, with symptoms including high fever, chills, and pains
in the joints. Neither Father Koch nor other inmates ever volunteered for these experiments, and they were subjected to them without their consent, enduring harsh and inhumane conditions. In total, more than 1,000 prisoners were used in the malaria experiments at Dachau during the war, including approximately 200 priests. Between 300 and 400 inmates died as a result of these experiments and among the survivors, a substantial number were left permanently injured. Among the prisoners, Claus Schilling gained a grim reputation for his brutal experiments,
which earned him the nickname “Bloody Schilling.” Dachau concentration camp was liberated on 29 April 1945 by units of the 45th Infantry Division. The soldiers who entered the camp were confronted with scenes of unimaginable horror. Private John Lee, who took part in the liberation, later recalled: “We had seen men in battle blown apart, burnt to death, and die in many different ways, but we were never prepared for this. Several of the dead lay there with their eyes open, a picture I will never get out of my mind. It seems they were looking at us and saying, ‘What took you
so long?’” Out of over 200,000 people who were imprisoned in Dachau and its numerous subsidiary camps during its 12-year existence between 1933 and 1945, nearly 42,000 people were murdered. Following the liberation of the camp, Schilling was arrested and tried during the first of Dachau camp trials which began on 15 November 1945. The trial included 40 defendants including 5 doctors who were charged and convicted of violating the laws and usages of war. They were accused of participating in and supporting a common plan that subjected Allied nationals and prisoners
of war to cruelty and mistreatment at Dachau Concentration Camp and its subcamps. At that time, there was no formal code of ethics in medical research to which the judges could hold the Nazi doctors accountable. The revelations from these “scientific experiments” during the trials led to the development of the Nuremberg Code, a ten-point code of human experimentation ethics, in 1949. During his trial, Schilling made a plea in English, breaking down in tears as he begged the court to let him finish his research on malaria. He stated: “I have worked out this great labor. It
really would be a terrible loss if I could not finish this work. I don’t ask you as a court, I ask you personally to do what you can; to do what you can to help me that I may finish this report. I need only a table and a chair and a typewriter. It would be an enormous help for science, for my colleagues, and a good part to rehabilitate myself.” His theatrical performance, however, did not help him escape justice. On 13 December 1945, Schilling was sentenced to death by hanging. In its ruling, the court noted
that Schilling held personal responsibility for pseudo-medical experiments with malaria pathogens on over 1,000 prisoners, some of whom died as a result. It was also pointed out that he had conducted such experiments independently as acts of individual excess. After his conviction, Schilling instructed his lawyer not to appeal on his behalf, stating that he would rather die than remain in prison. Following the court’s decision clemency petitions were submitted by Schilling’s colleagues from the Robert Koch Institute
and the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, emphasizing his scientific reputation, contributions to science, apolitical stance, and exemplary behavior. These petitions argued that Schilling was a passionate researcher who did not intentionally plan the deaths of his test subjects but aimed to save lives through his work. Nevertheless, Schilling’s sentence was confirmed, and his execution took place at Landsberg Prison in Landsberg am Lech, in southwest Bavaria, on 28 May 1946. He was 74 years old. Just before the hanging, when asked if he wanted
to make a final statement, Schilling replied: “I am not guilty. Please get it over with.” There were no tears shed for Claus Schilling. Thanks for watching the World History Channel be sure to like And subscribe and click the Bell notification icon so you don’t miss our next episodes we thank you and we’ll see you next time on the channel.