To Discipline or to Cure? Medical Authority and the Ethics of Care in the German Democratic Republic, 1960s–1980s

The remand prison of the East German Ministry of State Security in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen was the central prison of the East German secret service. It was mainly used for the investigation of political offences. In 1960, a hospital was established in the remand prison, whose doctors, according to former inmates, abused their medical authority in the interests of the secret service. While the broader history of the prison and its investigative practices have been well researched, the medical care of prisoners remains largely unexplored. Based on a systematic analysis of prisoners' personal files and other archival sources, this paper examines the role and function of the prison hospital between 1960 and 1989. We argue that the hospital functioned primarily as a disciplinary institution, serving the interests of the secret service rather than the welfare of sick prisoners. The article also considers the role of prison doctors, caught between medical ethics and political loyalty, and examines the mechanisms of prisoner discipline. The findings suggest that the hospital in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen was part of the apparatus of political persecution.