Glossary

Nuremberg Code

NOOR·uhm·burg kohd

A ten-point statement of medical research ethics, issued on 19 August 1947 by an American military tribunal at the close of the Doctors' Trial. In that trial, German physicians and medical administrators were tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Holocaust.

Its first point is the one most often cited: the voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential. A participant must have the legal capacity to consent, be free of coercion or deception, and be told the nature, duration, purpose, methods, risks and likely effects on their health before agreeing.

Sources: The Nuremberg Code — Holocaust Encyclopedia, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

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