Robert Koch (right) researched in East Africa not only on crocodiles, but also on people.
Photo: Image/PIEMAGS
On the occasion of his 125th birthday, the Hamburg Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine dealt with the question of whether its namesake and temporary director was racist or National Socialist. Actually, it has been discussed since 2022 whether the name of the tropical doctor is still wearable from today’s perspective. In the course of this debate, historian Thomas Großbölting from the Research Center for Contemporary History in Hamburg has now created an expert opinion.
The result can be summarized briefly as follows: Bernhard was still a racist and colonial revisionist that was ordinary for his time. With regard to the NSDAP, which came to power when was already emeritus, he behaved opportunistic and was also happy to be honored by the Nazis. These named the Hamburg Institute for Ship and Tropical Diseases in 1942. But Großbölting is now told that he was never directly involved in human trials. At this point, two sentences from the report are remarkable: »In the case of Nazi or colonial protagonists who have committed crimes against humanity or were directly involved in war or colonial crimes, a name is forbidden. Unlike, for example, Robert Koch, who is directly involved in human trials as a doctor and researcher, does not yet apply to Bernhard. «
At this point we forget Bernhard, whose role is now being discussed at the Hamburg Institute. Because here we read that the famous Robert Koch as the namesake is not sustainable! This is extremely interesting, after all, the Central Federal Institute for Public Health, the RKI, is named after the famous doctor.
In 1906/07, Koch researched the treatment of sleep disease in East Africa. In doing so, he propagated the internation of sick people in “concentration camps” and treated them with the arsenic agent atoxyl, the effectiveness of which was not even demonstrated in animal experiments. And people also showed more side effects than effects. They suffered from severe pain, part of the blind and a part died. Such severe side effects of atoxyl were well known, and in Germany the remedy for patients could not be used. On the pages of the RKI, the experiments of the famous doctor in East Africa are barely dealt with as “the most inglorious chapter in his career” – but the word “human experiment” is not looking in any search in this context. Will the RKI be renamed now? The zeitgeist says: No.
The “nd” remains. Thanks to them.
The Nd. cooperative belongs to our readers and authors. With the cooperative, we guarantee the independence of our editorial team and try to make all of our texts accessible – even if you have no money to get our work with you.
We have no hard paywall on the website out of conviction. But that also means that we all who can make a contribution must always ask for financing our journalism from the left. That costs nerves, and not just our reader, our author also becomes too much from time to time.
Nevertheless: Only together can we defend left -wing points of view!
With your support we can still:
→ offer independent and critical reporting.
→ cover topics that are overlooked elsewhere.
→ create a platform for diverse and marginalized voices.
→ Write to false information and hate speech.
→ Accompany and deepen social debates from the left.
Be part of the solidarity financing and support the “ND” with a contribution of your choice. Together we can create a media landscape that is independent, critical and accessible to everyone.
judi bola link sbobet link sbobet link sbobet