1931: Germany: “Guidelines for Human Experimentation”

ByVera Sharav

Germany’s Ministry of the Interior issued “Guidelines for Human Experimentation”

  • Unambiguous informed consent is mandatory;
  • particular care must be taken when the subject is a child under 18;
  • exploitation of patients who poor, or socially disadvantaged is prohibited;
  • disclosure requirements — the purpose, justification, and the manner in which research will be carried out;
  • a statement that the subject has been provided with relevant information, then gave his consent;
  • risks and anticipated benefits must be proportionate;
  • experimental therapies must first be tested in animals;
  • human experiments should be avoided if obtainable by other means (i.e, laboratory tests and animal studies);
  • This law remained in effect throughout the Nazi regime — but was violated in its entirety.
    (The Nuremberg Code — A critique, 2011; ACHRE Report Ch. 2)

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Reference Sources for Experiments Prior to World War II

Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE) Report Ch. 2, 1995. Lawrence Altman. Who Goes First? The Story of Self-Experimentation in Medicine, 1988 Appeal from the Lübeck Decision, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 1932 Nicholas Bakalar.  Where the Germs Are: A Scientific Safari, 2003 Edwin Black. War Against…