Marutas of Unit 731

Human Experimentation of the Forgotten Asian Auschwitz

De: Jenny Chan

Narrado por: Michelle Morgan

Euphemistically labeled as the "Water Supply and Prophylaxis Administration" and "HippoEpizootic Administration" of the Imperial Japanese Army, Unit 731 and Unit 100, as well as their subsidiary branches, performed human experimentation on the innocents under the leadership of Dr. Ishii Shiro. The Kempeitai, aka the military police, captured any patriots for Unit 731's prison. The prisoners included Chinese patriots, civilians, Russians, and allied POWs. Although the exact number of victims is unclear since the Japanese destroyed most of the evidence at the end of the war, but it ranged from 3,000-250,000 innocent men, women, and children. The cruel experiments and medical procedures were carried out by the brightest medical students and staff that Imperial Japan had to offer.

For the scientists to treat the prisoners less like humans, they called them "Marutas" or logs. The experimentations included their reaction to bubonic plague, typhoid, paratyphoid A and B, typhus, anthrax, smallpox, tularemia, infectious jaundice, gas gangrene, tetanus, cholera, dysentery, glanders, scarlet fever, undulant fever, tick encephalitis, "songo" or epidemic hemorrhagic fever, whooping cough, diphtheria, pneumonia, erysipelas, epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis, venereal diseases, tuberculosis, salmonella, frostbites, and many other viruses and bacteria. To observe the real-time effects of these deadly diseases and bacteria, these prisoners were often subject to vivisections without the use of anesthesia.

Then there was the ANTA testing ground where the human test subjects were exposed to bacterial weapons under field conditions. For example, to test weapons developed with gas gangrene, 10 Chinese prisoners were tied to stakes from 10-20 meters apart, and a bomb was set off by electricity. All 10 prisoners were injured by shrapnel contaminated with gas gangrene. Within a week, they all died in severe torment.

The study of the pathogens was also conducted with human experimentation. Vaccines were then developed to protect the Imperial Japanese Army in case they were to face a total war where they employ the bacteriological weapons produced by Unit 731. In the case where a human experimental subject was exhausted from the experiments, they were to be killed one way or another. Some test subjects were handed potassium cyanides, while others had porridge with heroin.

These "medical doctors" who performed routine human experiments were allowed to escape persecution, unlike their Nazi counterparts in Europe. Most of them were rewarded handsomely with great careers after the war. Not only did they not face any consequences, but most of them also lived successfully after the war was over.

©2020 Pacific Atrocities Education (P)2020 Pacific Atrocities Education

Critically important history

Critically important history. My only issue with the book is that it is way too short. This history is so important that more historical details need to be given about the war and war time line… as they pertain to this subject.

Short book…

This is the second book ive listened to after hearing mention of unit 731 by Jordan Peterson on a Jocko Willink podcast. No doubt some of the most horrendous torcher I’ve heard of from WW2, unfortunately not much seems to be written about unit 731 as both books ive cone across are very short and seen rushed along in terms of plot and chain of events. Would like to find a book of more depth and scope and analysis/critique of the events by the author. Still a shocking read and a good book for any student of history or WW2 buff.

Dark world war II history reminder

Another piece of History we should be aware of but probably aren't. Informational and educational regarding the darkest in humanity. A stark reminder of the power of nuclear weapons and how they saved lives by ending the war.

731 Should strike fear into your soul, but..

Very narrow look into horrors of the Japanese war machine. This repeats statistics, but no human drama is invoked.
This was a free selection, and has some merit, but others books exist that explore the human cruelty of this unit.
I will update...

Obvious AI

This was written with the help of a program like Chat GPT and voiced by AI. I have no way of proving that other than to tell you to listen to it for yourself. I was suspicious immediately because of the odd intonations of the narrator but I was sure it was AI written as well when I noticed it repeating the same thing back to back using synonyms. Things like "they were poor and had very little money" or saying "a department of sanitation was established" and then two sentences later "they devised a plan to establish a sanitation department". It's obvious "make longer" padding. I couldn't get through the first hour it was honestly painful to listen to. Just read the Wikipedia page about the project. You'll have a better experience.