Under Adolf Hitler, people with physical and mental disabilities were targeted by the Nazi regime through Action T4. Medical institutions and doctors took part in selecting and killing those classified as “useless” or “asocial.”
Neurologist Julius Hallervorden obtained the brains of victims killed at Brandenburg and other centres for his research. His collection eventually included hundreds of specimens taken from people murdered under the programme.
Action T4 brought together medicine, administration and systematic killing. After the war, Hallervorden continued his scientific career and became a professor at the Max Planck Institute, while the origins of his brain collection remained closely tied to the victims of the Nazi programme.
A closer look at Julius Hallervorden’s career reveals the role played by medical research within Action T4 and its aftermath.
Documentary: Action T4 : A Doctor Under Nazism
Directed by: Catherine Bernstein, Julie Perris, Eric Ward
Production: Arte France (2014)
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