The Life and Experiments of Josef Mengele

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Hungry, beaten, naked, abused, and dehumanized: these are just a few words to describe the prisoners in death camps all around Germany during World War II. Another word that describes these people is, experiments. Prisoners were human test tubes, available in seemingly unlimited amounts. With no rights and no chance of liberation, these people were treated like lab rats. During World War II, there were multiple evil and horrible events; one of the most wicked happenings was Josef Mengele’s medical experiments in the Nazi death camps.
Even though Mengele will go down in history as the Angel of Death, before his adulthood Mengele’s life was completely different. His father, Karl Mengele, was an extremely successful businessman. He owned the family factory and worked there so much that Mengele had few memories of his father. With his father nowhere to be seen, Mengele’s mother had to do everything. His mother, Walburga, was a crazy, murderous women, who literally drove Mengele crazy. There is evidence that some of the acts Mengele did were caused by how his mother treated him. Mengele once wrote about how cold-hearted his parents were, and how he felt like he needed the power of authority. Mengele was the eldest of three sons. At school, Mengele had the nickname of “Beppo”. This word is an affectionate name for a proactive young child. He was a well-behaved student, and received compliments from otherwise strict and mean teachers. In his village, he was always the best dressed, well-mannered, and all of the ladies wanted him.
At this time Mengele’s life was normal. He went on to college and avoided his parents. Going against his father’s wishes, Mengele decided not to go into business but in to the medical field. Mengele studied gene...

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...ushing Mengele over the edge. Mengele had been seeking control his entire life until Auschwitz provided him with it. With all the sense of power and control, it went to his head. He started performing operations that could not have been able to done by anyone else, anywhere else. After Mengele lost his power, he realized all of the evil that he had created and lived in the shadows for the rest of his life.

Work Cited
“Angel of Death” Louis Bülow 2012-14. Web. 27 March 2014
“Josef Mengele” American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise Elie Berman 2014. Web. 27 March 2014
“Josef Mengele” History Learning Site Chris Trueman 2000-2013. Web. 27 March 2014
“Josef Mengele, The Angel of Death” Crime Library Douglas B. Lynott. Web. 4 April 2014
“Josef Mengele.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 10 July 2013. Web. 27 March 2014.

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