Deadly Medicine contains material that some visitors may find disturbing and upsetting. It is not recommended for young children.

This page is intended to help visitors make an informed choice about visiting the exhibition based on the type of material presented in the exhibition and the nature of the subject.

What will I see in Deadly Medicine?

The exhibition contains images, propaganda material and other items created by the Nazis and supporters of eugenics. Much of this material, used to promote eugenic ideas and Nazi ypolicies, can be seen as racist, dehumanizing, and antisemitc. Some photographs and films used in the exhibition graphically depict people being victimized and killed by the Nazis as a result of Nazi eugenic policies, and in the Holocaust. This material is included in the exhibition as important historical evidence to show how the Nazis used eugenics to perpetrate mass murder in their euthanasia program and in the Holocaust.

In addition, the exhibition features a lengthy presentation of often harrowing and disturbing testimony from survivors of eugenics policies. These eyewitness testimonies form an important part of the exhibition and provide moving personal insights into the human consequences of Nazi policies and the Holocaust.

Should I take my child to see Deadly Medicine?

Children feature prominently in the exhibition. They were among the first victims of Nazi eugenics being subject to forced sterilization and later killed in their thousands as part of the Nazi euthanasia program. The exhibition presents some very graphic images of child victims of Nazi programs, and material on human experiments undertaken in Nazi death camps during the Holocaust.

Studies of young children (ages 5 to10) being taught about or exposed to material dealing with the Holocaust tell us that they may respond with difficult but important questions. “Will this happen to me? How can I get out of this situation?” Because adolescents have greater ability to understand historical context and the concept of causality they may ask such additional questions, such as” How could this have happened? How can we stop this from happening again?”

In preparing to visit Deadly Medicine with children, parents and accompanying adults, may wish to consider how their children will respond to the material and how best to answer their questions. Adults should be prepared to have a conversation with their children about the issues raised by the exhibition and its content, including the Holocaust.

Learn more about Deadly Medicine and the Holocaust

Follow this link to the special Deadly Medicine website hosted by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which created the exhibition.

If you don’t think this exhibition will provide an appropriate introduction to the subject of the Holocaust, you may wish to consider other programming options offered by the Canadian War Museum, please follow this link to learn more about them.