Two Experiments On Twins During The Holocaust

Twin Experiments

Over 3,000 twins at the concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, were forced against their will to become subjects for medical experiments during the Holocaust. Twin experiments played an important part in the Holocaust. Twins at Auschwitz were mostly Jewish children, who were tortured, injected with diseases, and exposed, all in the hopes of finding a way to mass produce one dominant race using genetics. Adolf Hitler and Josef Mengele started this experiment to help create Hitler’s master race of pure Germans.

Although Josef Mengele is most known for his experiments on twins during the Holocaust, he was not the first person to come up with this idea. Mengele took inspiration from Frances Galton. Frances Galton began experimenting

The separation of twins from their families started at the train platform as soon as the prisoners got to the camp. The twins would then be sent to a laboratory to be examined, processed, and tattooed with a number. One of the twins would be picked to be tested and experimented on, while the other twin would be the control. On this twin, they did everything from blood transfusions to forced insemination, disease injections, and amputations. (Blackmore). The twins were now known as “Mengele Twins” to the others because they were thought to be Mengele’s

Some of the privileges the twins had were keeping their own clothes, only having short hair, and showering once a week. (Mozes Kor). They also received protection from some of the horrors at Auschwitz; no gas chambers, separate quarters, and additional food and medical care. (Blakemore).

Some of the bad things they dealt with are cruel and taunting barrack leaders, sickness to the point you couldn’t walk, and fear of their twin dying. Many twins died during these operations and experiments, which lead to the other twin's death by being injected with a lethal substance. (Goalcast). They did this so they could cut open their bodies and compare autopsies and their internal organs. (Not Even Past). Many became sick from the diseases they injected, couldn't walk, would fade in and out of consciousness, die or carry on and regain wellness.

The goal of these experiments was to create blond hair, blue-eyed babies in multiple numbers. These were the traits wanted for Hitler’s “Master Race”, which were Aryans, pure Germans. (Fox 5). The research on twins was to increase the chances of mass production and to see if they could eliminate all unwanted traits. Hitler also created Lebensborn to try to produce his perfect