Disability Studies and the Legacies of Eugenics

Monday, July 12, 2004: Bernburg

Submitted by Sumi Colligan, Cultural Anthropology, Massachusetts College of the Liberal Arts

When we arrived in Bernburg, the staff was awaiting us and shuttled us off to a sterile-looking cafeteria (although the wurst appeared appealing!). Bernburg definitely had the feel of a “total institution.” It has only been an official memorial site since 1996/97. At least 14, 000 people were killed there.

Our visit to Bernburg consisted of three parts: 1) a question and answer session with Ute Hoffman and her assistant (with Rebecca Maskos translating); 2) a visit to the gas chamber, dissection room, and crematorium; and 3) a viewing of several Nazi propaganda films promoting eugenics.

Ute Hoffman showed us some overheads to illustrate the main themes of the discussion. These included the uses of space in this particular killing center, the geographic network of killing centers, the profile and selection of victims, medical examination and deception, the stories of specific victims, the narrative structure of death certificates, and perpetrator testimonies. Our discussion was held in the room where doctors once asked patients to strip, be photographed and diagnosed from a list of approximately 30 illnesses, and sent to their deaths. Hoffman explained that she still receives inquiries from the relatives of potential victims. Institutional policy prohibits contacting family members (in the absence of direct queries) in the event that they cannot handle knowledge of the diagnosis or fate of the victim.

It is only in the last several years that school groups have begun to visit Bernburg. The children usually arrive knowing nothing and a specific curriculum has been designed to introduce them to the subject. Disabled Germans may know about the killing centers slightly sooner than the average German citizen. However, less than 1% of the visitors to Bernburg are disabled.

We then went downstairs to see the gas chamber, breaking into smaller groups. Murder through showerheads was first perfected in Bernberg. The gas chamber was elevated by 2 steps so that the air inside the chamber itself would be thinner. The entrance was sealed by a thick door. The door had a window to allow the medical staff to observe the progress of peoples’ deaths. An adjacent room provided “respite” for the staff as they drank and played cards, awaiting the poison to take effect. 60-75 people were killed there a day. The dissection table was not the original. A big hole was placed in the middle of the dissection table in order for the body’s fluids to drain out. There was a straight path to the crematorium, easing the disposal of the body. In the hallway, there was a photograph of brains of patients that had been removed in “autopsies,” placed in canisters, and sent to the Max Planck Institute. This part of our visit culminated in our own memorial. A Not Dead Yet t-shirt was held up next to the crematorium as Jewish prayers were uttered by Adrienne and Sandy, a Hindu prayer for peace was recited by Debjani, and Kanta asked if someone wanted to dance with her.

Needless to say, our visit to the gas chamber was emotionally draining. Oddly enough, our viewing of Nazi propaganda films allowed us to re-group to a certain extent. Our visual narration and jabbing commentary gave us back a sense of control that had been temporarily suspended. The films focused on the economic cost of keeping disabled people alive and the “merciful” act of preventing future generations from suffering through the implementation of eugenic measures.

Overall, we were disturbed by the segregation of Bernburg from public space and public memory. We were equally disturbed by the fact that Bernburg has continued to operate uninterruptedly as a psychiatric institution, with no cessation during the war years or its immediate aftermath.

Sharon L. Snyder, Ph. D.,
Director, "Legacies of Eugenics" Summer Institute, Einstein Forum
Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Ph. D. Program in Disability Studies
Department of Disability and Human Development
University of Illinois at Chicago (MC 626)
1640 W. Roosevelt Rd. #207
Chicago IL 60608-6904 U.S.A.
E-mail: ssnyder@uic.edu Phone: (312) 413-1975 (Voice) Fax: (312) 996-0885