German Neurology and the 'Third Reich'

Abstract

Background: This paper summarizes the current state of research into the role of German neurology during National Socialism (NS) on the basis of extensive secondary literature and key original sources.

Summary: As early as 1933, many neurologists and neuroscientists who had been branded as 'non-Aryan' and/or politically persecuted had to leave Germany, were driven to suicide or killed in concentration camps. Two years later, the regulatory merger with the Psychiatrists' Association caused the cautious attempts of the institutionally hampered discipline for autonomy to end in complete failure. At the same time, the implementation of racial-hygienic and eugenic paradigms led to a wider definition of 'hereditary epilepsy' and an increase in sterilizations of patients suffering from epilepsy. Neurological research institutions, such as the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin-Buch, became involved in the 'euthanasia' program between 1939 and 1945, insofar as they dissected the brains of murdered patients under the guise of 'accompanying research' and, in this way, produced neurological findings. Key Messages: The Nazi state and German neurology provided each other with 'resources' at many levels. After 1945, the professional community showed very little interest in this legacy of neurology in the NS. It was only several generations later that the subject could be approached in an unbiased manner, allowing for comprehensive research projects.