| Abstract | U ovome radu razmatraju se bioetička pitanja povezana s japanskim eksperimentiranjem na
ljudima tijekom i neposredno prije Drugog svjetskog rata, stavljajući poseban fokus na
aktivnosti Jedinice 731. Cilj rada je analizirati povijesni kontekst, vrste provedenih
eksperimenata te etičke implikacije tih aktivnosti. Jedinica 731 tajna je organizacija koja je
djelovala u sklopu Carske japanske vojske. Osnovana je ubrzo nakon japanske okupacije
Mandžurije, velike regije u sjeveroistočnom dijelu Kine. Jedinica je nastala kao rezultat
ambicije liječnika Ishiija Shira, koji je čitajući Ženevski protokol o zabrani uporabe zagušljivih,
otrovnih i drugih plinova te bakterioloških metoda ratovanja, odlučio kako je biološko oružje
idealno rješenje za širenje Velikoga japanskoga carstva. Pod vodstvom Ishiija, Jedinica 731 bila
je zadužena za razvoj biološkog i kemijskog oružja koje će podržati japansku vojsku u osvajanju
azijskog teritorija. Da bi utvrdili učinkovitost biološkog oružja, znanstvenici i liječnici u sklopu
Jedinice 731 testirali su rezultate svojih eksperimenata na ljudskim ispitanicima. Neki od tih
eksperimenata uključivali su namjerno nanošenje smrtonosnih bolesti na prethodno zdrave
ljudske subjekte, živu disekciju ispitanika bez uporabe anestezije i testiranje krajnjih granica
ljudskog tijela u ekstremnim uvjetima poput smrzavanja, izgladnjivanja i vađenja velikih
količina krvi u kratkom vremenskom roku. U ovim eksperimentima stradali su muškarci, žene
i djeca. Posebno okrutni bili su eksperimenti sa spolno prenosivim bolestima, u kojima su
zaraženi muškarci prisiljeni na spolni odnos sa zdravim ženama. Ovi eksperimenti često su
rezultirali trudnoćom, nakon čega bi majka i dijete bili podvrgnuti disekciji, a tijelo djeteta
iskorišteno u drugim ispitivanjima.
Ovaj rad može se tematski podijeliti na tri veće cjeline; prvi dio rada bavi se povijesnim
kontekstom i razvojem Jedinice 731, drugi dio rada bavi se poslijeratnim suđenjima i sudbinom
bivših zaposlenika jedinice i treći dio rada bavi se etičkom analizom njihovim eksperimenata.
Ta etička analiza dotaknut će se kršenja ljudskih prava, nedostatka informiranog pristanka
subjekata i dehumanizacije žrtava. Glavni cilj ovog rada je istaknuti problem neetičkih praksi
u biomedicinskim istraživanjima i naglasiti važnost pridržavanja etičkih kodeksa koji štite
dostojanstvo ljudskog života. |
| Abstract (english) | This paper examines the bioethical issues related to Japanese human experimentation during
and shortly before World War II, with particular focus on the activities of Unit 731. The aim of
this paper is to analyze the historical context, types of experiments contucted, and the ethical
implications of these activities. Unit 731 was a secret organization operating within the Imperial
Japanese Army. It was established shortly after the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, a large
region in the northeastern part of China. The unit was the result of the ambitions of Dr. Ishii
Shiro, who, after reading Geneva Protocol on the prohibition of the use in war of asphyxiating,
poisonous or other gases, and of bacteriological methods of warfare, decided that biological
warfare was the ideal solution for expanding the Great Japanese Empire. Under Ishii's
leadership, Unit 731 was tasked with developing biological and chemical weapons to support
Japanese army in conquering Asian territory. To determine the effectiveness of biological
weapons, scientists and doctors in Unit 731 tested the results of their experiments on human
subjects. Some of these experiments involved deliberately infecting previously healthy human
subjects with deadly diseases, performing live dissections without anesthesia, and testing the
limits of human body under extreme conditions such as freezing, starvation, and drawing large
quantities of blood in a short period of time. Men, women, and children were victims of these
experiments. Particularly cruel were the experiments with sexually transmitted diseases, in
which infected men were forced to have sexual intercourse with healthy women. These
experiments often resulted in pregnancies, after which the mother and child were subjected to
dissection, and the child was used in other tests.
This paper can be themathically divided into three main sections; the first part deals with the
historical context and development of Unit 731, the second part covers post-war trials and the
fate of unit's former employees, and the third part adresses the ethical analysis of their
experiments. This ethical analysis will touch on the violation of human rights, the lack of
informed consent from subjects, and the dehumanization of victims. The main goal of this paper
is to highlight the issue of unethical practices in biomedical research and emphasize the
importance of adhering to ethical principles that protect the dignity of human life. |
