1943: Josef Mengele Becomes a Medical Officer in Auschwitz

The infamous doctor Josef Mengele, nicknamed “White Angel” and “Angel of Death”, became a medical officers in the largest Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz on this day in 1943.

Mengele  completed two studies (medicine and anthropology), and performed genetic research. He was interested in identical twins because they had the same genes.

Concentration camps were something akin to “research areas” because ethical standards were not respected there, and there were also many human corpses.

Mengele worked in the area of Auschwitz where the Roma were located. He held the rank of SS-Hauptsturmführer (equivalent of captain in the regular army).

He was nicknamed “white angel” because he wore his white coat, and ordered prisoners where they had to go.

Mengele used prisoners for his experimentation, especially twins. Once, he “took “14 pairs of twins, and injected  chloroform into their hearts. This killed them.

Then, he slashed their bodies open, and noted his observations.

He allegedly made experiments on living people, especially children, without anesthesia.

There was also an operation in which the two Roma twins were surgically connected in order to become so-called Siamese twins.

He sent their eyes to his mentor, who was also involved in such studies (even identical twins have different irisws and retinas of the eyes, and different fingerprints, although they have the same DNA).