EXTRACT FROM THE AFFIDAVIT OF DR. ERWIN SCHULER, 20 JULY 1945, CONCERNING TYPHUS EXPERIMENTS
Hoven’s Share in Block 46
In February 1942 the order to conduct typhus experiments came through. I was chosen to carry out these experiments. Since I had my office in Berlin, a deputy had to be appointed for my absence in Buchenwald. Reichsarzt SS Dr. Grawitz, in agreement with the leading doctor of the concentration camps, Lolling, appointed SS 1st Lt. Dr. Hoven as station doctor at Buchenwald. My presence in Buchenwald always lasted only a few days, while the experiments and the typhus epidemic lasted about 10 weeks.
Dr. Hoven had orders to get the prisoners (professional criminals sentenced to death), who had been released for the experiments from the Reich Security Office and the chief of the concentration camps, for vaccination or infection after an examination of their physical fitness.
As deputy, he often ordered Dr. Plaza to take over the guard of Block 46. Dr. Plaza, in addition, continued to work independently under Kapo Dietzsch.
For experiments that did not result in death, such as the effectiveness of yellow fever vaccine, 200 to 300 volunteers stood in readiness. This I know from rosters that Dietzsch showed me once. Such experiments did not only take place in the block but also, in a certain case, in the camp itself. For that experiment about 80 Dutchmen were taken; they did not have to work and they were given extra rations. For that they had to have their temperature taken three times daily and every two days they had to give 10 cc. blood for a blood count.
Hoven worked as my deputy until my permanent entrance into Buchenwald in August 1943. In September he was arrested.
In the year 1942 he had to work a lot by himself, since I contracted typhus and after that was sent to a rest home. Immediately after that I was detailed to the Pasteur Institute in Paris. During this time the sick reports bore the signature of Hoven or Plaza.
[Signed] Dr. Schuler