During World War II, well over 1,000 victims were a part of the Nazi malaria experiments. Healthy subjects were purposefully infected with a strain of malaria, either by being bitten by malaria-infected mosquitoes or through malaria-infected blood being injected directly into the victim's veins. "All of a sudden my heart felt like it was going to be torn out," writes victim Father Leo Miechalowski, who was subjected to the Nazi malaria experiments. "I became insane. I completely lost my language -- my ability to speak." Malaria's symptoms include prolonged fevers and headaches, which can lead to comas and death. Once the effects of the malaria were felt, doctors would continue to inject malaria into the victims, to ensure the disease would stay in their blood. These experiments directly or indirectly resulted in the deaths of almost half of the total victims.
