Today is the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. If it seems far removed from your everyday practice, it should not. In fact, some of the worst perpetrators in the Holocaust were the Nazi physicians and are one of the prime reasons that there exist human protections in research. It should remind us to advocate for our patients every day and stand up for our ethics.
Antonio Gramsci (1937) said, “I hate the bystanders. I can’t stand their whining of innocence. I hold each of them accountable for the job that life asked of them and keeps asking daily. I hold them responsible for what they’ve done and more importantly, for what they have not done.” And Martin Luther King said “ I don’t fear the shouts of Evil. I fear the silence of Goodness.”
Attached is a presentation from CMSRU Medical Education Grand Rounds by Salvatore Mangione on the Holocaust. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnmERJ4tYNc