Professor Ludwik Fleck was a famous scientist and a prominent philosopher. Although his life and work were studied extensively, the Second World War period was a subject of some discussion and controversy. On account of his Jewish origin, he was first arrested and moved from the Lwów ghetto to the ‘Laokoon’ factory and then imprisoned in KL Auschwitz-Birkenau and in KL Buchenwald. Fleck produced the anti-typhus vaccine in the chemo-bacteriological laboratory in the Jewish Hospital at Kuszewicza Street and in the ‘Laokoon’ factory in Lwów. During his incarceration in KL Auschwitz-Birkenau, Fleck worked in the camp laboratory in Block 10 carrying out bacteriological studies for the inmates and then was assigned to work in the Wasserman station in Rajsko. From January 1944 Fleck performed routine laboratory tests in Block 50 in KL Buchenwald. Though Fleck had a privileged life in the camp, he participated in the sabotage activities organized by the camp resistance.
AmsterdamskaOBonahCBorckC. Medical science in the light of a flawed study of the holocaust: a comment on Eva Hedfors’ paper on Ludwik Fleck. Social Study of Science2008; 38: 937–937.
Hedfors E. The reading of Ludwik Fleck. Sources and context. vol. 7. Licentiate Thesis in philosophy. Stockholm, Sweden: Royal Institute of Technology, 2005, pp.113–119.
4.
Schnelle T. Microbiology and Philosophy of Science, Lwaend the German Holocaust: Stations of a life – Ludwik Fleck 1896–1961. In: Cohen RS and Schnelle T (eds) Cognition and fact. Materials on Ludwik Fleck, Dordrecht. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data, 1986, pp.3–36.
5.
Grzybowski A. Ludwik Fleck as a medical scientist, microbiologist and immunologist. In: Michal Kokowski (ed.) The Global and the Local. The History of Science and the Cultural Integration of Europe. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference of the European Society for the History of Science, Cracow, Poland, 6–9 September 2006. Cracow: Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences. ISBN: 978-83-60183-42-7.
6.
GrzybowskiA. From Ludwik Fleck’s leukergy to the present-day rheology of leukocytes in heart and vascular diseases [Review]. Kardiologia Polska2007; 65: 822–826.
7.
GrzybowskiA. Ludwik Fleck’s studies in microbiology. Würzburger Medizinhistorische Mitteilungen2007; 26: 110–119.
8.
WeiszGMGrzybowskiA. Medical discoveries in the ghettos: the anti-typhus battle. Israel Medical Association Journal2011; 13: 261–265.
9.
Schnelle T. Ludwik Fleck-Leben und Denken. Zur Entstehung und Entwicklung des soziologischen Denkstils in der Wissenschaftsphilosophie. Master's Thesis, Freiburg: HochschuleVerlag, 1982.
10.
Fleck L. Style myślowe i fakty. Warszawa: Ed. IFIS PAN, 2007.
11.
Fleck L. Pathology of the Holocaust. Investigation of epidemic typhus in the Ghetto of Lwów in 1941-1942, http://www.ludwik-fleck-kreis.org (accessed 29 September 2012).
12.
Fleck L. Testimony for Yad Vashem Archiv 0-3/650 taken by Dr E Raba on 3 February 1958 in Ramat Awiw.
13.
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Archives – documents of SS and Police Hygiene Institute in Oświęcim.
14.
Alphabetical list of 507 persons employed in Prof. Rudolf Weigl Institute (1939–1944) according to the document ‘Professor Rudolf Stefan Weigl and his Institute for Epidemic Typhus in Lwów in the years 1939–1944’. Published by Muzeum Arsenał, Cieszyńskiego 9, Wrocław 1994, http://www.lwow.home.pl/weigl/weiglowcy.html (accessed 29 September 2012).
15.
WeiszGMGrzybowskiA. Rapid urinary antigen diagnosis of infectious diseases: the legacy of Dr Ludwik Fleck. Würzburge Medizinhistorische Mitteilungen2010; 29: 314–324.
16.
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Archives – a list of prisoner workgroups from Untersuchungstelle – Auschwitz I.
17.
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Archives – Pages from Block 20 register and RTG register (camp hospital).
18.
KietaM. Instytut Higieny SS i Policji w Oświęcimiu (The SS and Police Institute of Hygiene in Auschwitz). Przegl Lek Oświęcim1980; 1: 172–176.
19.
Bisaga E, Jastrzębowska N and Maciaszczyk M. The conservation of the SS-hygiene institute documents. Oświęcim: The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim, 2011.
20.
Fejkiel W. Więźniarski szpital w KL Auschwitz. Oświęcim: Wydawnictwo Państwowego Muzeum w Oświęcimiu, 1994.
21.
KłodzińskiS. Laboratorium instytutu higieny SS w oświęcimiu. Bulion z mięsa ludzkiego (The Laboratory of the SS Institute of Hygiene in Auschwitz. Broth from humanflesh). Przegląd Lekarski Oświęcim1969; 1: 67–70.
22.
Kogon E. Der Staat Das System der deutschen konzentrationslager. Kindler Verlag, München, 1946, p.264.
23.
Barbarski K. Sabotage in the Ampoule. Przekrój 1947; 99, p.16.
24.
Sady W. In: Zalta EN (ed.) ‘Ludwik Fleck’, The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Summer 2012 edition, Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305. http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2012/entries/fleck/ (accessed 16 April 2014).
