VERONAL

The drug with the trade name Veronal (active ingredient barbituric acid) was approved in 1903 and was commercially very successful. In small doses, it was considered to promote sleep, and in larger doses, it had a narcotic effect. From 1908 onwards, however, Veronal was only available in pharmacies on prescription. The drug quickly led to dependence, affected metabolic processes in the body and could lead to poisoning in the event of an overdose.
In psychiatric institutions, drug trials were conducted on patients. These trials showed that the drug had a long duration of action in the body and that its use could be associated with a number of side effects. In the »children’s ward« in Lüneburg, Veronal was used to murder children as part of the »children’s euthanasia« programme. A specific dose of the sleeping pill was administered on the instructions of a doctor; in addition to Veronal, this could also be Luminal, morphine-scopolamine or chloral hydrate. The nurse Dora Vollbrecht testified in an investigation against her that the children died within one to two days of receiving these doses.