I Was a Doctor in Auschwitz

I Was a Doctor in Auschwitz is Dr. Gisella Perl's firsthand account of her imprisonment at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World War II. As a Jewish gynecologist from Hungary, she was forced to work as an inmate physician under the command of Josef Mengele. The memoir documents Perl's experiences treating fellow prisoners in the women's camp under impossible conditions with no medical supplies or equipment. Her narrative covers the period from her deportation through her time serving as a doctor in the camp's hospital barracks. Through clinical yet human observations, Perl records the medical crises, ethical dilemmas, and daily struggles for survival she witnessed and faced while trying to save lives within the death camp system. The book provides perspective on the specific experiences of women prisoners and medical personnel in Auschwitz. This foundational Holocaust memoir explores how medical ethics and the Hippocratic oath collide with the reality of genocide, raising questions about morality in the face of systematic dehumanization. The account stands as both historical testimony and an examination of medicine's capacity for both harm and healing.

Readers describe this memoir as haunting and difficult but important documentation of medical ethics under extreme circumstances. Many note that Dr. Perl's first-hand account helps humanize statistics about the Holocaust through specific details and personal stories. Readers appreciated: - Clear, straightforward writing style - Medical perspective rarely covered in other Holocaust accounts - Documentation of women's experiences specifically - Context around impossible ethical decisions doctors faced Common criticisms: - Some found the writing emotionally detached - Questions about accuracy of certain details - Abrupt ending - Translation issues in some editions Ratings: Goodreads: 4.26/5 (2,100+ ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (240+ ratings) Multiple readers noted the book's relevance to modern medical ethics debates. One reader called it "a crucial historical record of both heroism and horror in the medical profession." Several mentioned having to take breaks while reading due to the intense subject matter.

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Five Chimneys by Olga Lengyel A Hungarian Jewish woman chronicles her work in the Auschwitz-Birkenau infirmary and her observations of Josef Mengele's medical experiments.

This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski A Polish political prisoner presents his accounts of working in various functions at Auschwitz-Birkenau, including as a hospital orderly.

The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide by Robert Jay Lifton Through interviews with former Nazi physicians and survivors, this work examines the role of doctors in the Holocaust and their transformation from healers to killers.

Death Dealer: The Memoirs of the SS Kommandant at Auschwitz by Rudolf Höss The commandant of Auschwitz provides a detailed account of the camp's medical facilities and the role of doctors in the extermination process.

📚 Dr. Gisella Perl was known as "The Angel of Auschwitz" for secretly performing thousands of abortions on pregnant women in the camp, saving them from certain death as pregnant prisoners were immediately killed or used for experiments. 🏥 Before her imprisonment, Perl was the first and only woman gynecologist in her hometown of Sighetu Marmației, Romania, where she ran a successful private practice. ✍️ The book was published in 1948, making it one of the earliest firsthand accounts of the Holocaust written by a survivor and the first by a female physician. 💔 After liberation, Perl attempted suicide due to survivor's guilt but recovered and eventually immigrated to New York, where she became a specialist in infertility treatment at Mount Sinai Hospital. 🎭 Her story was adapted into a 2003 Showtime television film titled "Out of the Ashes," starring Christine Lahti as Dr. Perl, with Bruce Davison and Richard Crenna in supporting roles.