Carl Peter Værnet (April 28, 1893 – November 25, 1965) was a Danish doctor at

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; 'beech forest') was a German Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Nazi Germany, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within the Altreich (pre-1938 ...

and an SS-Sturmbannführer. Værnet attempted to cure homosexuality by implanting artificial hormone glands into male prisoners at Buchenwald. Although he was arrested after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Værnet fled to

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

where he practiced medicine until his death.

Early life and education

Carl Værnet was born Carl Peter Jensen in Jutland, Denmark. In 1921, he changed his last name to Værnet (). He was educated as a physician at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

where he obtained his degree of medicine in 1923. Værnet worked as a general practitioner in Copenhagen, popular for his alternative treatments.

Nazi Germany and Buchenwald

Værnet joined the National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark in the late 1930s. After his membership in the Danish Nazi Party and collaboration with German occupants became known, his patients abandoned him and his professional and financial situation worsened. In October 1943, three months after his clinic had been bombed by the resistance group Holger Danske, Værnet and his family moved to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

on invitation. In Berlin, Værnet was introduced to deputy Reich SS Physician Ernst-Robert Grawitz, who was personal assistant to

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

. Himmler, determined to eliminate homosexuality from Nazi Germany, was interested in Værnet's proposal to cure male homosexuality through an artificial hormonal gland implanted under the skin, which would release testosterone.

wrote "treat Værnet with the utmost generosity. I request a report of three to four pages each month because I am very interested in these things". Værnet was relocated to

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

to carry out his research at

under "German Medicines Ltd". He was given an apartment originally belonging to Jews. Værnet traveled between Prague and Buchenwald, first arriving to the camp on the 26th of July 1944. He was supported in his work by the camp doctor . Up to 17 men were involved in the experiment, although Vaernet implanted capsules into 12 of the prisoners. These included "real homosexuals" and some castrated heterosexual offenders. According to Simon LeVay, at least 10 of these men were homosexual. Although camp doctor Gerhard Schiedlausky reported that a total of 13 men received implants, Grau notes that "Shielausky's figure of 13 operations is contentious. The first was performed by Værnet on 13.9.44 on five prisoners, the second on 8.12.44 on a further seven". According to notes written by the senior doctor at Buchenwald dated 3 January 1945, at least one man died during the experiment on 21 December 1944 "of heart failure associated with infectious enteritis and general bodily weakness".

Eugen Kogon Eugen Kogon (2 February 1903 – 24 December 1987) was a German historian and Nazi concentration camp survivor. A well-known Christian opponent of the Nazi Party, Kogon was arrested more than once and spent six years at Buchenwald concentration ...

reported that a second man died as a result of the operations due to festering inflammation of cell tissue, presumably after 3 January 1945. Little is known about fate of the other victims, as none are known to have applied for financial compensation after 1945. Værnet claimed that "successes" with the implants occurred, presumably due to positive reports from prisoners hoping to receive a release from the camp, or knowing it would increase their odds of survival. The lack of scientific evaluation on the effectiveness of Værnet's experiment gave rise to suspicion from the SS camp officers. Værnet's final report to Himmler on 10 February 1945 reported that his hormonal research remained unfinished, Weindling, Paul (2015). ''Victims and Survivors of Nazi Human Experiments: Science and Suffering in the Holocaust''.

Bloomsbury Academic Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. Bloomsbury's head office is located on Bedford Square in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a US publishing office located in ...

. . and included excessive praise of Himmler, perhaps in an attempt to distract from his lack of results. The hypothesis that levels of circulating hormones determined (or cured) male homosexual orientation was later discredited by scientific research, and the organizational role of hormones prior to birth became a more influential hypothesis.

Post-war and escape to Argentina

After the war, Værnet returned to Copenhagen and was arrested. He was detained at Alsgade Skole

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

, run by the British major Ronald F Hemingway, who said that Værnet "undoubtedly will be sentenced as a war criminal". However, he was released with the help of his son Kjeld Værnet who claimed he had a "life threatening" heart condition, and argued of the importance his artificial endocrine gland that promised "tremendous export revenues" for Denmark. Hemingway authorised his transfer to a hospital, however records show that Værnet’s heart tests were normal and that he did not receive treatment. On his father's behalf, Kjeld Værnet unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate the sale of the artificial gland to a large British–American pharmaceutical company. However, Kjeld Værnet was successful in arranging his father's escape to

via

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. A medical colleague of Værnet’s informed the Danish public prosecutor that his declining health required a vitamin E treatment that was available in Sweden. Værnet was given a permit to travel to Sweden and was able to support himself with a state

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

he received. Værnet fled to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. He received Argentinian citizenship under the name "Carlos Peter Værnet" and worked as a general practitioner. In 1947 he was employed by Ramón Carrillo to fund his "scientific specialism". Kjeld Værnet twice unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate

impunity Impunity is the ability to act with exemption from punishments, losses, or other negative consequences. In the international law of human rights, impunity is failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice and, as such, itsel ...

to allow his father's return to Denmark. However, the Danish government decided not to extradite him. Carl Værnet died in 1965 and was buried in Cementerio Británico, Buenos Aires. His son Kjeld Værnet (1920–1999) was a respected neurosurgeon at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen. According to Peter Tatchell, Værnet's files at the Danish National Archives remain classified and closed until 2025.

Early life and education

Nazi Germany and Buchenwald

Post-war and escape to Argentina

See also

References

Further reading