Cerro Tórtolas. A German scientific expedition enlisted aid of the Chilean government to carry out biological research and experiments on the human body on the high peak of Tórtolas (20,744 feet). The Germans, led by Hans Albrecht, were supported by 36 soldiers of the Chilean army. They ascended the peak with several camps and on the summit they set up a plastic isothermic hut weighing almost 3000 lbs. In all, the expedition worked on the mountain over 40 days. Research consisted of experiments with human digestion of several kinds of diets and foods, breathing and blood thickening at high altitudes.

Humberto Barrera, Club Andino de Chile