Eugene Lazowski

Polish doctor who saved thousands during WWII through medical resistance

Dr. Eugene Lazowski (1913-2006) executed 'Operation False Typhus' - one of WWII's most ingenious resistance acts. Using a fake epidemic of typhus, he protected 8,000 Polish Jews from Nazi deportation by exploiting German fear of infectious diseases.

Collaborating with immunologist Stanisław Matulewicz, Lazowski injected healthy people with dead Proteus OX19 bacteria to mimic typhus in blood tests. When Nazi officials saw positive results, they quarantined entire villages rather than sending inhabitants to concentration camps. This biological resistance continued undetected until 1944.

Post-war, Lazowski became a pediatric professor but kept his wartime actions secret until 1977. His story reshapes our understanding of medical ethics under tyranny, proving that scientific creativity could be weaponized against genocide. The US Holocaust Museum now recognizes his unique form of resistance.