Josef Mengele – The ‘Angel of Death’ Perhaps the most remembered power crazy and experimental doctor, thriving in one of Germany’s darkest periods. By: Meghan McCourt and Mollie van Eekeren

Josef Mengele is remembered as a cruel and heartless doctor who abused his power, using it for his dangerous and agonizing experimentation that he claimed was in the name of science. Not only did he operate on many individuals, he also was the head of Auschwitz selection, and dictated who lived or died when first coming off of the trains. Generally, children, women, elderly, or physically disabled persons were the first to die, and men who were young and healthy were allowed to live for a little while and work themselves to death. Some women were left alive and used as sex slaves but this was less common. During selection he purposely sought out gypsy children, and even more so, twins.

Early Life Born on March 16th 1911 in Gunzburg Earned his PhD in physical anthropology in 1935 Became the assistant to Dr. Otmar von Verschuer Joined the Nazi Third Reich in 1937 He did not have a bad childhood that paved the way to what he later became, though he was in battle before the Holocaust as an officer. When he joined the Holocaust he was praised and awarded status for his medical PHD.

Twins – The Obsession Took twins at selection for experiments on genetics Blood was drawn in large quantities daily Surgeries without anesthesia were preformed Attempted to alter eye color through use of dyes and chemicals Most kids called him ‘Uncle Mengele’ He played with them and gave them chocolate and candy. The twins didn’t really have to do hard jobs, usually they just were the messengers.

Eva Mozes’s Story “Dr. Mengele had always been more interested in Tibi. I am not sure why--perhaps because he was the older twin. Mengele made several operations on Tibi. One surgery on his spine left my brother paralyzed. He could not walk anymore. Then they took out his sexual organs. After the fourth operation, I did not see Tibi anymore. I cannot tell you how I felt. It is impossible to put into words how I felt. They had taken away my father, my mother, my two older brothers--and now, my twin.”

Heterochromia Was constantly attempting to alter eye color through the use of dyes and chemicals Pinned deceased subjects eyes to a board and studied them Subjects often suffered blindness from his experiments Josef Mengele’s obsessions stretched beyond just twins, he was also fascinated with the concept of Heterochromia – when a person had different pigments in each of their eyes. He was constantly trying to change peoples eye color through the injection of chemicals and dyes that often caused severe agony and often temporary or permanent blindness.

Conclusion Josef Mengele experimented on about 3,000 sets of twins of only around 200 survived. His most common interests were twins, or other birth defects Josef Mengele was a man who became drunk on his power, and used it to inflict pain and suffering on others, particularly helpless and young children.

Work Cited "Josef Mengele." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 11 May 2011 "Nazi angel of death Josef Mengele 'created twin town in Brazil' ." The Telegrapgh. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.