Centre for the Study of Health, Ethics, and Society
Publication: From Nuremberg to Helsinki: Historicizing the Codification of Post-War Research Ethics
20 November 2023
Photo: UHH/Schmidt
By Ulf Schmidt
In 1947, the Nuremberg Doctors’ trial promulgated the ten-point set of principles for the conduct of human experiments known as the Nuremberg Code; in 1964, the World Medical Association (WMA) adopted the first version of its Declaration of Helsinki (DoH). The continued relevance of both documents offers ample reason to reflect on the development of post-war research ethics, particularly in light of recent COVID-19 pandemic experience and military conflict. Historicizing the codification and implementation of modern research ethics provides valuable context for a question of growing contemporary importance, namely how best to protect human participants and vulnerable communities in an increasingly complex global research environment. Efforts to safeguard human participants in clinical trials have intensified since the first version of the WMA’s Declaration and are now codified in many national and international laws and regulations. However, most researchers lack a comprehensive understanding of how the DoH originated, changed, and functions in today’s world. Over half a century, this “living document” has been criticized and revised many times, but its standing as of one the most universally accepted ethical codes remains largely undisputed. At the same time, it is far from certain whether our existing global framework provides sufficient guidance for tomorrow’s research practices.
