Health of Adolf Hitler: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1970-097-76, Hitler-Attentat vom 20. Juli 1944 crop.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Adolf Hitler]] (right) showing [[Benito Mussolini]] the wreckage of the room Hitler was in when an [[20 July plot|assassination attempt by bombing]] occurred at his [[Wolf's Lair]] headquarters. Hitler suffered numerous superficial wounds, but both of his eardrums were punctured by the blast. While he recovered from those injuries, Hitler's health had been on a decline for some time before the incident, and he never returned to the state of fitness he had enjoyed before.]]
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1970-097-76, Hitler-Attentat vom 20. Juli 1944 crop.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Adolf Hitler]] (right) showing [[Benito Mussolini]] the wreckage of the room Hitler was in when an [[20 July plot|assassination attempt by bombing]] occurred at his [[Wolf's Lair]] headquarters. While he recovered from those injuries, Hitler's health had been on a decline for some time before the incident, and he never returned to the state of fitness he had enjoyed before.]]
The '''health of [[Adolf Hitler]]''', dictator of [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] from 1933 to 1945, has long been a subject of popular controversy. Both his physical and mental health have come under scrutiny.
The '''health of [[Adolf Hitler]]''', dictator of [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] from 1933 to 1945, has long been a subject of popular controversy. Both his physical and mental health have come under scrutiny.


During his younger days, Hitler's health was generally good, despite his lack of exercise and a poor diet, which he later [[Adolf Hitler and vegetarianism|replaced with a mostly vegetarian one]]. Even then, Hitler had a very strong sweet tooth, and would often eat multiple cream cakes at a sitting.<ref>[[Volker Ullrich|Ullrich, Volker]] (2016) ''Hitler: Ascent 1889-1939''. New York: Vintage. pp.120, 174, 407-408 {{isbn|978-1-101-87205-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kershaw |first1=Ian |author-link=Ian Kershaw |title=Hitler: A Biography |date=2008 |publisher=Norton & Company |location=New York |isbn=978-0-393-06757-6}}</ref> Later, as the tension and pressure of being the ''[[Führer]]'' of Germany began to take its toll, Hitler's health took a downturn from which he never really recovered. Exacerbated by the many drugs and potions he was given by his unconventional doctor, [[Theodor Morell]], and undermined by Hitler's own [[Hypochondriasis|hypochondria]], his premonition of a short lifespan, and his fear of [[cancer]] (which killed [[Klara Hitler|his mother]]), the dictator's health declined almost continuously until [[Death of Adolf Hitler|his death by suicide]] in 1945.
During his younger days, Hitler's health was generally good, despite his lack of exercise and a poor diet, which he later [[Adolf Hitler and vegetarianism|replaced with a mostly vegetarian one]]. Even then, Hitler had a very strong [[wikt:sweet tooth|sweet tooth]] and would often eat multiple cream cakes at a sitting.{{sfn|Ullrich|2016|pp=120, 174, 407-408}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kershaw |first1=Ian |author-link=Ian Kershaw |title=Hitler: A Biography |date=2008 |publisher=Norton & Company |location=New York |isbn=978-0-393-06757-6}}</ref> Later, as the tension and pressure of being the ''[[Führer]]'' of Germany began to take its toll, Hitler's health took a downturn from which he never really recovered. Exacerbated by the many drugs and potions he was given by his unconventional doctor, [[Theodor Morell]], and undermined by Hitler's own [[Hypochondriasis|hypochondria]], his premonition of a short lifespan, and his fear of [[cancer]] (which killed [[Klara Hitler|his mother]]), the dictator's health declined almost continuously until [[Death of Adolf Hitler|his death by suicide]] in 1945.


By the time of his last public appearance, one month before his death, March 1945,<ref>Spiegel.de: [https://www.spiegel.de/geschichte/besuch-beim-fotodetektiv-a-946791.html When pictures lie] – "The true date of the last newsreel edition."</ref> in the garden of the [[New Reich Chancellery]] building, where he reviewed and congratulated teenaged ''[[Volkssturm]]'' ("People's Storm") and [[Hitler Youth]] soldiers for their efforts in the [[Battle of Berlin]] against the Soviet [[Red Army]], Hitler was bent over, shuffled when he walked, and could not stop his left arm, which he held behind him, from trembling. His eyes were glassy, his skin was greasy, and his speech could sometimes barely be heard. He looked to be much older than his actual age, which was 56, and hardly resembled the charismatic orator who had led the Nazi Party to power.
By the time of his last public appearance, one month before his death, March 1945,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/geschichte/besuch-beim-fotodetektiv-a-946791.html |title=Wenn Bilder lügen |trans-title=When pictures lie |first=Benjamin |last=Maack |work=[[Der Spiegel (website)|Der Spiegel]] |date=2008-03-28 |access-date=2025-09-28}}</ref> in the garden of the [[New Reich Chancellery]] building, where he reviewed and congratulated teenaged ''[[Volkssturm]]'' ("People's Storm") and [[Hitler Youth]] soldiers for their efforts in the [[Battle of Berlin]] against the Soviet [[Red Army]], Hitler was bent over, shuffled when he walked, and could not stop his left arm, which he held behind him, from trembling. His eyes were glassy, his skin was greasy, and his speech could sometimes barely be heard. He looked to be much older than his actual age, which was 56, and hardly resembled the charismatic orator who had led the Nazi Party to power.


==Trauma==
==Trauma==
===First World War===
===First World War===
Hitler's mustard gas claim has been disputed by many historians. Supposedly, during [[World War I]], Hitler served as a dispatch runner for the List Regiment of the [[Bavarian Army]]. On the night of 13–14 October 1918, he and his comrades were victims of an Allied [[mustard gas]] attack near [[Ypres]], [[Belgium]]. They had been leaving their dug-out to retreat when the attack occurred, and were partially blinded by it. Hitler received initial treatment in [[Flanders]], and on 21 October was sent to the military hospital in [[Pasewalk]] near [[Szczecin|Stettin]] in [[Pomerania]]. It is believed that instead of being treated for a gas attack, Hitler was being treated for syphilis. It was there that Hitler learned that Germany had asked the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] for an armistice.{{sfn|Kershaw|1998|pp=96-97}} He also learned that [[German Revolution of 1918–1919|revolution]] was in the air. Hitler later claimed that it was while recuperating at Pasewalk that he became a virulent [[Antisemitism|antisemite]], although historians consider this to be unlikely, especially when Hitler referred to his conversion in terms of a vision he received. He left the hospital on 19 November, eight days after the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|armistice]] was signed.{{sfn|Kershaw|1998|pp=102-105}}
Hitler's mustard gas claim has been disputed by many historians. Supposedly, during [[World War&nbsp;I]], Hitler served as a dispatch runner for the List Regiment of the [[Bavarian Army]]. On the night of 13–14 October 1918, he and his comrades were victims of an Allied [[mustard gas]] attack near [[Ypres]], [[Belgium]]. They had been leaving their dug-out to retreat when the attack occurred, and were partially blinded by it. Hitler received initial treatment in [[Flanders]], and on 21 October was sent to the military hospital in [[Pasewalk]] near [[Szczecin|Stettin]] in [[Pomerania]]. It is believed that instead of being treated for a gas attack, Hitler was being treated for syphilis. It was there that Hitler learned that Germany had asked the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] for an armistice.{{sfn|Kershaw|1998|pp=96-97}} He also learned that [[German Revolution of 1918–1919|revolution]] was in the air. Hitler later claimed that it was while recuperating at Pasewalk that he became a virulent [[Antisemitism|antisemite]], although historians consider this to be unlikely, especially when Hitler referred to his conversion in terms of a vision he received. He left the hospital on 19 November, eight days after the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|armistice]] was signed.{{sfn|Kershaw|1998|pp=102-105}}


===1944 assassination attempt===
===1944 assassination attempt===
As a result of the [[20 July plot|20 July 1944 assassination attempt on Hitler]] – in which he survived a bomb explosion at his [[Wolf's Lair]] headquarters – both of his [[eardrum]]s were punctured, and he had numerous superficial wounds, including blisters, burns, and 200 wood splinters on his hands and legs, cuts on his forehead, abrasions and swelling on his left arm, and a right arm that was swollen, painful, and difficult to raise, causing him to use his left hand to greet [[Benito Mussolini]], who arrived that day for a previously scheduled summit meeting. The punctured eardrums were the most serious of these injuries.{{sfn|Kershaw|2000|p=674}} Weeks later, blood was still seeping through Hitler's bandages, and he suffered sharp pain in the right ear, as well as hearing loss. The eardrums took several weeks to heal, during which Hitler suffered from dizziness and a loss of balance which made him awkwardly hew to the right when walking. In addition, his blood pressure was high. One unusual result was that the trembling in Hitler's hands and left leg, which had increasingly afflicted him for sometime, abated for a time after the explosion, which Morell attributed to nervous shock; they returned in mid-September.{{sfn|Kershaw|2000|p=694}}<ref name=WithHitler>{{cite book|date=2009|author1=[[Heinz Linge|Linge, Heinz]] |author2=Moorehouse, Roger|isbn=978-1-602-39804-7|title=With Hitler to the End: The Memoir of Hitler's Valet|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing|url=https://archive.org/details/withhitlertoendm00ling}}</ref>
As a result of the [[20 July plot|20 July 1944 assassination attempt]] – in which he survived a bomb explosion at his [[Wolf's Lair]] headquarters – both of his [[eardrum]]s were punctured, and he had numerous superficial wounds, including blisters, burns, and 200 wood splinters on his hands and legs, cuts on his forehead, abrasions and swelling on his left arm, and a right arm that was swollen, painful, and difficult to raise, causing him to use his left hand to greet [[Benito Mussolini]], who arrived that day for a previously scheduled summit meeting. The punctured eardrums were the most serious of these injuries.{{sfn|Kershaw|2000|p=674}} Weeks later, blood was still seeping through Hitler's bandages, and he suffered sharp pain in the right ear, as well as hearing loss. The eardrums took several weeks to heal, during which Hitler suffered from dizziness and a loss of balance which made him awkwardly hew to the right when walking. In addition, his blood pressure was high. One unusual result was that the trembling in Hitler's hands and left leg, which had increasingly afflicted him for sometime, abated for a time after the explosion, which Morell attributed to nervous shock; it returned in mid-September.{{sfn|Kershaw|2000|p=694}}<ref name=WithHitler>{{cite book|date=2009|author1=[[Heinz Linge|Linge, Heinz]] |author2=Moorehouse, Roger|isbn=978-1-602-39804-7|title=With Hitler to the End: The Memoir of Hitler's Valet|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing|url=https://archive.org/details/withhitlertoendm00ling}}</ref>


==Syphilis==
==Syphilis==
Hitler's tremor and irregular heartbeat during the last years of his life could have been symptoms of tertiary (late stage) [[syphilis]],<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2842819.stm | work=BBC News | title=Hitler syphilis theory revived | date=2003-03-12 | access-date=2010-04-23}}</ref> which would mean he had had a syphilis infection for many years. However, syphilis had become curable in 1910 with Dr. [[Paul Ehrlich]]'s introduction of the drug [[Arsphenamine|Salvarsan]].
Hitler's tremor and irregular heartbeat during the last years of his life could have been symptoms of tertiary (late stage) [[syphilis]],<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2842819.stm | work=BBC News | title=Hitler syphilis theory revived | date=2003-03-12 | access-date=2010-04-23}}</ref> which would mean he had a syphilis infection for many years. However, syphilis had become curable in 1910 with Dr. [[Paul Ehrlich]]'s introduction of the drug [[Arsphenamine|Salvarsan]].


In ''The Man with the Miraculous Hands'', his biography of Dr. [[Felix Kersten]], journalist [[Joseph Kessel]] wrote that in the winter of 1942, Kersten heard of Hitler's medical condition. Consulted by his patient, [[Heinrich Himmler]], as to whether he could "assist a man who suffers from severe headaches, dizziness and insomnia", Kersten was shown a top-secret 26-page report. It detailed how Hitler had contracted syphilis in his youth and was treated for it at a hospital in Pasewalk. However, in 1937, symptoms re-appeared, showing that the disease was still active, and by the start of 1942, signs were evident that progressive syphilitic paralysis (''[[tabes dorsalis]]'') was occurring. Himmler advised Kersten that [[Theodor Morell]] (who in the 1930s claimed to be a [[Venereology|venereologist]]) was in charge of Hitler's treatment and that it was a state secret. The book also relates how Kersten learned from Himmler's secretary, [[Rudolf Brandt]], that at that time, probably the only other people privy to the report's information were [[Nazi Party]] chairman [[Martin Bormann]] and [[Hermann Göring]], the head of the ''[[Luftwaffe]]''.<ref>Kessel, Joseph. ''The Man With the Miraculous Hands: The Fantastic Story of Felix Kersten, Himmler's Private Doctor''. Classics of War Series. Springfield, NJ: Burford Books, 2004. {{ISBN|1580801226}}.</ref> Interestingly, Morrell was trained as a general practitioner physician. However his specialty was neither dermatology nor venereology but in fact [[obstetrics]] and [[gynaecology]]. Despite his lack of training, Morrell did treat Hitler [who had an obsessive fear of VD] with Arsenobenzol, designated "606," Salvarsan, Neosalvarsan with bismuth, and iodine salts.<ref>[https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=264091&hilit=Salvarsan Hitler's Health]</ref>
In ''The Man with the Miraculous Hands'', his biography of Dr. [[Felix Kersten]], journalist [[Joseph Kessel]] wrote that in the winter of 1942, Kersten heard of Hitler's medical condition. Consulted by his patient, [[Heinrich Himmler]], as to whether he could "assist a man who suffers from severe headaches, dizziness and insomnia", Kersten was shown a top-secret 26-page report. It detailed how Hitler had contracted syphilis in his youth and was treated for it at a hospital in Pasewalk. However, in 1937, symptoms re-appeared, showing that the disease was still active, and by the start of 1942, signs were evident that progressive syphilitic paralysis (''[[tabes dorsalis]]'') was occurring. Himmler advised Kersten that [[Theodor Morell]] (who in the 1930s claimed to be a [[Venereology|venereologist]]) was in charge of Hitler's treatment and that it was a state secret. The book also relates how Kersten learned from Himmler's secretary, [[Rudolf Brandt]], that at that time, probably the only other people privy to the report's information were [[Nazi Party]] chairman [[Martin Bormann]] and [[Hermann Göring]], the head of the ''[[Luftwaffe]]''.<ref>Kessel, Joseph. ''The Man With the Miraculous Hands: The Fantastic Story of Felix Kersten, Himmler's Private Doctor''. Classics of War Series. Springfield, NJ: Burford Books, 2004. {{ISBN|1580801226}}.</ref> Interestingly, Morrell was trained as a general practitioner physician. However his specialty was neither dermatology nor venereology but in fact [[obstetrics]] and [[gynaecology]]. Despite his lack of training, Morrell did treat Hitler (who had an obsessive fear of venereal disease) with Arsenobenzol, designated "606," Salvarsan, Neosalvarsan with bismuth, and iodine salts.<ref>[https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=264091&hilit=Salvarsan Hitler's Health]</ref>


==Monorchism==
==Monorchism==
{{See also|Hitler Has Only Got One Ball|Possible monorchism of Adolf Hitler}}
{{See also|Hitler Has Only Got One Ball|Possible monorchism of Adolf Hitler}}
It has been alleged that Hitler had [[monorchism]], the medical condition of having only one [[testicle]]. In 2008, a British newspaper reported that in 1916, a German doctor named Johan Jambor had encountered an injured Hitler during the [[Battle of the Somme]].<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last1=Jamieson |first1=Alastair |title=Nazi leader Hitler really did have only one ball |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3481932/Nazi-leader-Hitler-really-did-have-only-one-ball.html |work=The Telegraph |date=19 November 2008 }}</ref> Jambor allegedly asserted that Hitler—who is known to have suffered a groin injury in the battle—had in fact lost a testicle. Jambor had supposedly described the dictator's condition to a priest, who later wrote down what he had been told.<ref name=":0" />
It has been alleged that Hitler had [[monorchism]], the medical condition of having only one [[testicle]]. In 2008, a British newspaper reported that in 1916, a German doctor named Johan Jambor had encountered an injured Hitler during the [[Battle of the Somme]].<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last1=Jamieson |first1=Alastair |title=Nazi leader Hitler really did have only one ball |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3481932/Nazi-leader-Hitler-really-did-have-only-one-ball.html |work=The Telegraph |date=19 November 2008 }}</ref> Jambor allegedly asserted that Hitler – who is known to have suffered a groin injury in the battle – had in fact lost a testicle. Jambor had supposedly described the dictator's condition to a priest, who later wrote down what he had been told.<ref name=":0" />


Soviet doctor Lev Bezymensky, allegedly involved in the [[Death of Adolf Hitler|Soviet autopsy]], stated in a 1967 book that Hitler's left testicle was missing. Bezymensky later admitted that the claim was falsified.<ref>Bezymensky L. A. ''Operatsija "Mif" ili skolko raz choronili Gitlera.'' Moscow 1995</ref>
Soviet doctor Lev Bezymensky, allegedly involved in the [[Death of Adolf Hitler|Soviet autopsy]], stated in a 1967 book that Hitler's left testicle was missing. Bezymensky later admitted that the claim was falsified.<ref>Bezymensky L. A. ''Operatsija "Mif" ili skolko raz choronili Gitlera.'' Moscow 1995</ref>
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==Huntington's disease==
==Huntington's disease==
It has been speculated that Hitler had [[Huntington's disease]]. When many of the physical symptoms shown in newsreels during his later life – his hand tremor and shuffling gait –  are coupled with his alleged mental and psychological deterioration, they may also point toward Huntington's. This is only conjecture, since a definitive diagnosis would require DNA testing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/huntingtons-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20356117|title=Huntington's disease - Symptoms and causes|work=Mayo Clinic|access-date=2018-03-06|language=en}}</ref> Although Huntington's disease was known and considered a hereditary disease during the time period, even appearing in state papers on the sterilisation list, it is not known if Hitler knew of this condition.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hdlf.org/node/719|title=Huntington's disease - Symptoms and causes|work=Mayo Clinic|access-date=2018-03-06|language=en|archive-date=6 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306202534/http://www.hdlf.org/node/719|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hdlf.org/node/719|title=Hitler's 'Cure' for Huntington's Disease {{!}} Huntington's Disease Lighthouse Families|website=www.hdlf.org|language=en|access-date=2018-03-06|archive-date=6 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306202534/http://www.hdlf.org/node/719|url-status=dead}}</ref>
It has been speculated that Hitler had [[Huntington's disease]]. When many of the physical symptoms shown in newsreels during his later life – his hand tremor and shuffling gait –  are coupled with his alleged mental and psychological deterioration, they may also point toward Huntington's. This is only conjecture, since a definitive diagnosis would require DNA testing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/huntingtons-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20356117|title=Huntington's disease - Symptoms and causes|work=Mayo Clinic|access-date=2018-03-06|language=en}}</ref> Although Huntington's disease was known and considered a hereditary disease during the time period, even appearing in state papers on the sterilisation list, it is not known if Hitler knew of this condition.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hdlf.org/node/719|title=Huntington's disease - Symptoms and causes|work=Mayo Clinic|access-date=2018-03-06|language=en|archive-date=6 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306202534/http://www.hdlf.org/node/719}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hdlf.org/node/719|title=Hitler's 'Cure' for Huntington's Disease {{!}} Huntington's Disease Lighthouse Families|website=www.hdlf.org|language=en|access-date=2018-03-06|archive-date=6 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306202534/http://www.hdlf.org/node/719}}</ref>


==Parkinson's disease==
==Parkinson's disease==
It has been speculated Hitler had [[Parkinson's disease]]. Newsreels of Hitler show he had tremors in his left hand and a shuffling walk (also a symptom of tertiary syphilis, see above) which began before the war and continued to worsen until the end of his life. Morell treated Hitler with a drug agent that was commonly used in 1945, although Morell is viewed as an incompetent doctor by most historians and any diagnoses he may have made are subject to doubt.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bhattacharyya |first1=Kalyan B. |title=Adolf Hitler and His Parkinsonism |journal=Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology |date=2015 |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=387–390 |doi=10.4103/0972-2327.169536 |doi-access=free|pmid=26713007 |pmc=4683874}}</ref>
It has been speculated Hitler had [[Parkinson's disease]]. Newsreels of Hitler show he had tremors in his left hand and a shuffling walk (also a symptom of tertiary syphilis, see above) which began before the war and continued to worsen until the end of his life. Morell treated Hitler with a drug agent that was commonly used in 1945, although Morell is viewed as an incompetent doctor by most historians and any diagnoses he may have made are subject to doubt.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bhattacharyya |first1=Kalyan B. |title=Adolf Hitler and His Parkinsonism |journal=Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology |date=2015 |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=387–390 |doi=10.4103/0972-2327.169536 |doi-access=free|pmid=26713007 |pmc=4683874}}</ref>


Dr. [[Werner Haase]], Hitler's personal physician, who was in attendance every day from 21 April until Hitler's suicide on 30 April, was convinced that Hitler had Parkinson's.<ref name=bunker>{{cite book | last = O'Donnell | first = James P. | author-link = James P. O'Donnell | title = [[The Bunker (book)|The Bunker]] | publisher = Da Capo Press | location = New York | year = 2001 | orig-year = 1978 | isbn = 978-0-306-80958-3 | pages=37, 150}}</ref> In addition, Dr. [[Ernst-Günther Schenck]], who worked at an emergency casualty station in the [[Reich Chancellery]] during April 1945, also claimed Hitler might have Parkinson's disease. However, Schenck only saw Hitler briefly on two occasions and, by his own admission, was extremely exhausted and dazed during these meetings; at the time, he had been in surgery for numerous days without much sleep.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/10/09/Physician-describes-Hitlers-last-days/4583497678400/|title=Physician describes Hitler's last days|website=UPI}}</ref><ref name=bunker />
Dr. [[Werner Haase]], Hitler's personal physician, who was in attendance every day from 21 April until Hitler's suicide on 30 April, was convinced that Hitler had Parkinson's.<ref name=bunker>{{cite book | last = O'Donnell | first = James P. | author-link = James P. O'Donnell | title = [[The Bunker (book)|The Bunker]] | publisher = Da Capo Press | location = New York | year = 2001 | orig-date = 1978 | isbn = 978-0-306-80958-3 | pages=37, 150}}</ref> In addition, Dr. [[Ernst-Günther Schenck]], who worked at an emergency casualty station in the [[Reich Chancellery]] during April 1945, also claimed Hitler might have Parkinson's disease. However, Schenck only saw Hitler briefly on two occasions and, by his own admission, was extremely exhausted and dazed during these meetings; at the time, he had been in surgery for numerous days without much sleep.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/10/09/Physician-describes-Hitlers-last-days/4583497678400/|title=Physician describes Hitler's last days|website=UPI}}</ref><ref name=bunker />


==Other complaints==
==Other complaints==
From the 1930s onwards, Hitler suffered from stomach pains. In 1936 a non-cancerous [[Polyp (medicine)|polyp]] was removed from his throat. Hitler also developed [[Dermatitis|eczema]] on his legs.{{sfn|Kershaw|2000|p=36}} Some doctors dismiss Hitler's ailments as hypochondria, pointing out the apparently drastic decline of Hitler's health as Germany began losing [[World War II]]. According to a medical examination from 1924, Hitler was 175cm (5ft 9in) tall and weighed {{Convert|77|kg|lb|abbr=on}},<ref>{{Cite news |last=Friedmann |first=Jan |date=2010-06-23 |title=Adolf Hitler's Time in Jail: Flowers for the Führer in Landsberg Prison |language=en |work=Der Spiegel |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/adolf-hitler-s-time-in-jail-flowers-for-the-fuehrer-in-landsberg-prison-a-702159.html |access-date=2023-07-17 |issn=2195-1349}}</ref> making him slightly [[overweight]].
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There is speculation that Hitler may have had [[Encephalitis lethargica]] when he was a young adult (in addition to the more substantial case for Parkinsonism in his later years).{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}
According to a medical examination from 1924, Hitler was {{Convert|175|cm|ftin}} tall and weighed {{Convert|77|kg|lb|abbr=on}},<ref>{{Cite news |last=Friedmann |first=Jan |date=2010-06-23 |title=Adolf Hitler's Time in Jail: Flowers for the Führer in Landsberg Prison |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/adolf-hitler-s-time-in-jail-flowers-for-the-fuehrer-in-landsberg-prison-a-702159.html |access-date=2023-07-17 |work=Der Spiegel |language=en |issn=2195-1349}}</ref> making him slightly [[overweight]]. Another examination from 1937 reported his height to be 175.26&nbsp;cm and his weight to be {{Convert|67.04|kg|abbr=on}},<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kellerhoff |first=Sven-Felix |date=2016-12-26 |title=Theodor Morell: So stieg ein Quacksalber zu Hitlers Leibarzt auf |url=https://www.welt.de/geschichte/article160555356/Theodor-Morell-So-stieg-ein-Quacksalber-zu-Hitlers-Leibarzt-auf.html |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=[[Die Welt]] |language=de}}</ref> which puts him in the normal weight category of the [[body mass index]] (BMI).


In 1943, author [[Frederick Cable Oechsner]] claimed in his book ''This Is The Enemy'' that Hitler had a [[rhinoplasty]] in [[Munich]] sometime after 1933 to correct the shape of his nose, as it was reportedly "a little bulbous at the end and fatty on the bridge."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Oechsner |first=Frederick Cable |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.527910/page/n90/mode/1up |title=This Is The Enemy |publisher=[[Heinemann (publisher)|William Heinemann Ltd.]] |year=1943 |pages=84}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=1942-06-22 |title=GERMANY: Inside Hitler |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,773259,00.html |access-date=10 May 2024 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |language=en-US |issn=0040-781X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=22 June 1942 |title=To the Führer, Hitler Is Terrific |magazine=[[Newsweek]] |page=42 |volume=19 |issue=25 |issn=0028-9604 |id={{ProQuest|1797092971}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Warren |first1=Anne G. |last2=Goldwyn |first2=Robert M. |date=October 2007 |title=Did Hitler Have a Rhinoplasty? |url=http://journals.lww.com/00006534-200710000-00055 |journal=Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery |language=en |volume=120 |issue=5 |pages=1435 |doi=10.1097/01.prs.0000279458.49157.28 |issn=0032-1052 |doi-access=free|pmid=17898634 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=May 2024|reason=Warren (2020) claims "an official press dispatch released by the SS" confirmed this report, citing "Langer, W. C. The Mind of Adolf Hitler: The Secret Wartime Report" (1972), though there is apparently no mention of it in that book.}}
By the 1930s, Hitler suffered from stomach pains, which could be severe after continued stress. In 1935, a non-cancerous [[Polyp (medicine)|polyp]] was removed from his throat.{{Sfn|Kershaw|2000|p=36}} Hitler also developed [[Dermatitis|eczema]] on his legs in 1936, but Morell successfully treated him by the end of 1937.{{sfn|Kershaw|2000|p=36}} The dictator sometimes wore [[glasses]] to study documents, but forbade the publication of photographs of him wearing them.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fuchs |first=Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hIEalB-khJsC&pg=PT125&dq=A+concise+biography+of+Adolf+Hitler&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiu-YeWkoCRAxUnHDQIHYZAEtIQ6AF6BAgOEAM#v=snippet&q=eyeglasses&f=false |title=A Concise Biography of Adolf Hitler |date=2000 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-101-12737-7 |location=London |language=en |orig-date=1990}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hitler's Personal Photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205042174 |access-date=2025-11-20 |website=[[Imperial War Museum]]s |language=en}}</ref>


[[File:Hitler's remains - diagram.jpg|thumb|upright=.84|Hitler's dental remains|alt=A maxillar bridge and mandibular fragment (color) against the rest of the jaws (transparent)]]
[[File:Hitler's remains - diagram.jpg|thumb|upright=.84|Hitler's dental remains|alt=A maxillar bridge and mandibular fragment (color) against the rest of the jaws (transparent)]]
American journalist [[Frederick Cable Oechsner]] claimed {{Circa|1943}} that Hitler had a [[rhinoplasty]] in [[Munich]] sometime after 1933 to correct the shape of his nose, as it was purportedly "a&nbsp;little bulbous at the end and fatty on the bridge";<ref>{{Cite book |last=Oechsner |first=Frederick Cable |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.527910/page/n90/mode/1up |title=This Is The Enemy |publisher=[[Heinemann (publisher)|William Heinemann Ltd.]] |year=1943 |page=84}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=1942-06-22 |title=GERMANY: Inside Hitler |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,773259,00.html |access-date=19 November 2025 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |language=en-US |issn=0040-781X}}</ref> a 2007 medical analysis was unable to find evidence of this.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Warren |first1=Anne G. |last2=Goldwyn |first2=Robert M. |date=October 2007 |title=Did Hitler Have a Rhinoplasty? |journal=Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery |language=en |volume=120 |issue=5 |page=1435 |doi=10.1097/01.prs.0000279458.49157.28 |issn=0032-1052 |doi-access=free|pmid=17898634 }}</ref> Hitler's secretary [[Christa Schroeder]] similarly claimed that he first donned his [[toothbrush moustache]] ({{Circa|1920s|lk=off}}) to distract from a supposedly large nose,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schroeder |first=Christa |url=https://archive.org/details/hewasmychiefmemo0000schr/page/49/ |title=He Was My Chief: The Memoirs of Adolf Hitler's Secretary |publisher=Frontline Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-84832-536-4 |location=London |pages=xii, 49 |translator-last=Brooks |translator-first=Geoffrey |orig-date=1985}}</ref> but this was only visibly engorged closer to the end of WWII.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hett |first=Benjamin Carter |date=2021-11-19 |title=The Decision That Cost Hitler the War (Published 2021) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/19/books/review/hitlers-american-gamble-brendan-simms-charlie-laderman.html |access-date=2025-11-20 |work=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref>{{sfn|Ullrich|2016|pp=382–383}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-03-30 |title=Geburtstagsempfang im Berghof auf demObersalzberg bei Berchtesgaden:... |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/geburtstagsempfang-im-berghof-auf-demobersalzberg-bei-news-photo/545718707 |access-date=2025-07-23 |website=Getty Images |language=en-us}}</ref>


Hitler is often asserted by [[fringe theories]] to have [[Conspiracy theories about Adolf Hitler's death|faked his death]] in 1945, implying a marginal [[mandibulectomy]]<ref>Multiple sources:
Hitler is often asserted by [[fringe theories]] to have [[Conspiracy theories about Adolf Hitler's death|faked his death]] in 1945, implying a marginal [[mandibulectomy]]<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite book |last=Bezymenski |first=Lev |url=https://archive.org/details/deathofadolfhitl0000unse_c0c9 |title=The Death of Adolf Hitler |publisher=[[Harcourt, Brace & World]] |year=1968 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=45 |quote=The [[alveolar process]]es are broken in the back}}.
* {{cite book |last=Bezymenski |first=Lev |url=https://archive.org/details/deathofadolfhitl0000unse_c0c9 |title=The Death of Adolf Hitler |publisher=[[Harcourt, Brace & World]] |year=1968 |edition=1st |location=New York |page=45 |quote=The [[alveolar process]]es are broken in the back}}.
* {{cite book |last1=Petrova |first1=Ada |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780393039146 |title=The Death of Hitler: The Full Story with New Evidence from Secret Russian Archives |last2=Watson |first2=Peter |author-link2=Peter Watson (intellectual historian) |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-393-03914-6 |pages=93–101}}
* {{cite book |last1=Petrova |first1=Ada |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780393039146 |title=The Death of Hitler: The Full Story with New Evidence from Secret Russian Archives |last2=Watson |first2=Peter |author-link2=Peter Watson (intellectual historian) |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-393-03914-6 |pages=93–101}}
* {{Cite web |date=2019-11-22 |title=Mandibulectomy |url=https://thancguide.org/cancer-basics/treatments/surgery/ablative/mandibulectomy/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=THANC Guide |language=en-US}}
* {{Cite web |date=2019-11-22 |title=Mandibulectomy |url=https://thancguide.org/cancer-basics/treatments/surgery/ablative/mandibulectomy/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=THANC Guide |language=en-US}}
* {{Cite web |last=Gross |first=Terry |date=2017-03-07 |title=Author Says Hitler Was 'Blitzed' On Cocaine And Opiates During The War |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/518986612 |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=[[NPR]] |language=en}}</ref> (with certain eyewitnesses providing different stories about why the dental remains might be found detached).<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{Cite web |last=Gross |first=Terry |date=2017-03-07 |title=Author Says Hitler Was 'Blitzed' On Cocaine And Opiates During The War |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/518986612 |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=[[NPR]] |language=en}}</ref> (with certain eyewitnesses providing different stories about why the dental remains might be found detached).<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{Cite magazine |date=1945-07-02 |title=International: Where There's Smoke ... |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,775985,00.html |access-date=2025-05-20 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |issn=0040-781X}}
* {{Cite magazine |date=1945-07-02 |title=International: Where There's Smoke ... |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,775985,00.html |access-date=2025-05-20 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |issn=0040-781X}}
* {{cite book |last=Trevor-Roper |first=Hugh |author-link=Hugh Trevor-Roper |url=https://archive.org/details/lastdaysofhitler0000trev_j2d4/page/n57/mode/2up |title=The Last Days of Hitler |publisher=Pan Macmillan |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-330-49060-3 |edition=7th |location=London |page=lvi |orig-year=1947}}
* {{cite book |last=Trevor-Roper |first=Hugh |author-link=Hugh Trevor-Roper |url=https://archive.org/details/lastdaysofhitler0000trev_j2d4/page/n57/mode/2up |title=The Last Days of Hitler |publisher=Pan Macmillan |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-330-49060-3 |edition=7th |location=London |page=lvi |orig-date=1947}}
* {{cite book |last1=Brisard |first1=Jean-Christophe |title=The Death of Hitler |last2=Parshina |first2=Lana |author2-link=Lana Parshina |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-0306922589 |pages=219 |language=en |name-list-style=and}}</ref> According to one report to the [[FBI]], Hitler allegedly made it to [[Argentina]] and was suffering from [[asthma]] and [[ulcer]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=We Are the Mighty |date=January 21, 2016 |title=These declassified FBI files raise questions about Hitler’s death in the Führerbunker |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/declassified-fbi-files-about-hitlers-death-2015-12 |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=[[Business Insider]] |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Efn|[[History Channel|History]]'s fringe series ''[[Hunting Hitler]]'' implies Chile and the FBI's [[Nazism in Chile|investigation of Nazi spy networks]] in South America to possibly corroborate the dictator's escape.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Hitler's Last Will |series=Hunting Hitler |network=History |date=2018 |season=3 |number=8 |minutes=7–10}}</ref>}}
* {{cite book |last1=Brisard |first1=Jean-Christophe |title=The Death of Hitler |last2=Parshina |first2=Lana |author2-link=Lana Parshina |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-306-92258-9 |page=219 |language=en |name-list-style=and}}</ref> According to one report to the [[FBI]], Hitler allegedly made it to [[Argentina]] and was suffering from [[asthma]] and [[ulcer]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=We Are the Mighty |date=January 21, 2016 |title=These declassified FBI files raise questions about Hitler's death in the Führerbunker |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/declassified-fbi-files-about-hitlers-death-2015-12 |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=[[Business Insider]] |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Efn|[[History Channel|History]]'s fringe series ''[[Hunting Hitler]]'' implies Chile and the FBI's [[Department 50|investigation of Nazi spy networks]] in South America to possibly corroborate the dictator's escape.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Hitler's Last Will |series=Hunting Hitler |network=History |date=2018 |season=3 |number=8 |minutes=7–10}}</ref>}}
 
In 2025, blood from the sofa where Hitler committed suicide was used by [[Turi King]] of the University of Bath for [[DNA analysis]]. The blood was confirmed to be Hitler's by comparing it to DNA from a relative with shared paternal ancestry.{{Sfn|Blackburn|2025}} Analysis of the genetic material revealed that he had markers for [[Kallmann syndrome]], a genetic disorder that prevents a person from starting or fully completing [[puberty]]. Many males with the syndrome have an [[undescended testicle]] and 10 percent have a [[micropenis]]; most have low [[testosterone]] levels.{{sfn|Oltermann|2025}} An additional symptom of Kallmann syndrome is a [[hyposmia|reduced]] or [[anosmia|total lack of sense of smell]].{{sfn|Boehm et al.|2015}} King cites Hitler's facial hair and relatively deep tone in [[Hitler and Mannerheim recording|the only known recording]] of him speaking unofficially as showing that he did enter puberty.<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Hitler's DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator |network=[[Channel 4]] |date=22 November 2025 |number=2}}</ref>


==Mental health==
==Mental health==
{{See also|Psychopathography of Adolf Hitler}}
{{Excerpt|Psychopathography of Adolf Hitler}}
As debated as Hitler's physical medical issues may be, his [[mental health]] is a minefield of theories and speculation. This topic is controversial, as many believe that if a [[Psychology|psychological]] cause can be found for Hitler's behaviour, there would be more reasoning behind his actions.
 
In 1993, an interdisciplinary team consisting of Desmond Henry, [[Dick Geary]], and Peter Tyrer published an essay in which they expressed their common view that Hitler had [[antisocial personality disorder]] as defined in ICD-10. Tyrer, a psychiatrist, was convinced that Hitler furthermore showed signs of paranoia and of [[histrionic personality disorder]]. [[Robert G. L. Waite]], who wrote an extensive [[psychohistory]] of Hitler, concluded that he suffered from [[borderline personality disorder]], which manifested its symptoms in numerous ways and would imply Hitler was in full control of himself and his actions. Others have proposed Hitler may have been [[schizophrenia|schizophrenic]],{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}} based on claims that he was hallucinating and delusional during his last year of life. Many people believe that Hitler had a mental disorder and was not schizophrenic nor [[Bipolar disorder|bipolar]], but rather met the criteria for both disorders, and was therefore most likely a [[schizoaffective disorder|schizoaffective]]. If true, this might be explained by a series of [[Brief psychotic disorder|brief reactive psychoses]] in a [[narcissism|narcissistic personality]] which could not withstand being confronted with reality (in this case, that he was not the "superman" or "saviour of Germany" he envisioned himself to be, as his plans and apparent early achievements collapsed about him). In addition, his regular [[methamphetamine]] use<ref name="Channel4">{{YouTube | id=8DJr5q4Bf_s | title=Hitler's Hidden Drug Habit: Secret History}} directed and produced by Chris Durlacher. A Waddell Media Production for Channel 4 in association with National Geographic Channels, MMXIV. Executive Producer Jon-Barrie Waddell.</ref>{{sfn|Doyle|2005|p=8/8 in PDF}} and possible [[sleep deprivation]] in the last period of his life must be factored into any speculation as to the cause of his possible psychotic symptoms, as these two activities are known to trigger psychotic reactions in some individuals. Hitler never visited a [[psychiatrist]], and under current methodology, any such diagnosis is speculation.


==Drug use==
==Drug use==
{{further|Theodor Morell#Substances administered to Hitler}}
{{further|Theodor Morell#Substances administered to Hitler}}
Prescribed 90 medications during the war years by Morell, Hitler took many pills each day for chronic stomach problems and other ailments.{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|p=782}} He regularly consumed [[methamphetamine]], [[barbiturate]]s, [[opiate]]s, and [[cocaine]],<ref>{{cite web|date=13 February 2017|last=Ohler|first=Norman|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/hitlers-doctor-said-the-dictator-almost-died-from-a-cocaine-overdose/|title=Hitler's Doctor Said the Dictator Almost Died from a Cocaine Overdose |work=Vice |access-date=15 March 2017}}</ref>{{sfn|Porter|2013}} as well as [[potassium bromide]] and [[atropa belladonna]] (the latter in the form of [[Doktor Koster's Antigaspills]]).{{sfn|Doyle|2005|p=8}}
Prescribed 90 medications during the war years by Morell, Hitler took up to 28 pills a day for his various ailments.{{sfn|Kershaw|2000|p=612}} He regularly consumed [[methamphetamine]],{{sfn|Doyle|2005|p=8/8 in PDF}} [[barbiturate]]s, [[opiate]]s, [[cocaine]],<ref>{{cite web|date=13 February 2017|last=Ohler|first=Norman|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/hitlers-doctor-said-the-dictator-almost-died-from-a-cocaine-overdose/|title=Hitler's Doctor Said the Dictator Almost Died from a Cocaine Overdose |work=Vice |access-date=15 March 2017}}</ref>{{sfn|Porter|2013}} testosterone (regularly from 1944 on),<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bandyopadhyay |first=Sankar |date=2017-04-18 |title=Hitler's neuro-psychiatric medley, an un-ignorable war history for neurologists. (p2.049) |url=https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.88.16_supplement.P2.049 |journal=Neurology |volume=88 |issue=16_supplement |article-number=P2.049 |doi=10.1212/WNL.88.16_supplement.P2.049|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Freund |first=Alexander |date=2025-11-16 |title=Hitler's DNA: What analysis reveals about his health |url=https://www.dw.com/en/hitler-dna-channel-4-documentary-what-genetic-analysis-really-reveals-about-the-dictators-health/a-74761371 |access-date=2025-12-31 |website=DW.com |language=en}}</ref> [[potassium bromide]], and [[deadly nightshade]] (in the form of [[Doktor Koster's Antigaspills]]).{{sfn|Doyle|2005|p=8}}
 
According to Käthe Heusermann (assistant to Hitler's dentist, [[Hugo Blaschke]]) Hitler would accept "only the bare minimum" of [[anesthetic]], sitting motionlessly through a [[dental extraction]] in November 1944.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ryan |first=Cornelius |author-link=Cornelius Ryan |url=https://archive.org/details/lastbattle00ryan_0/page/54/mode/2up |title=The Last Battle |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-684-80329-6 |location=New York |pages=55-56 |orig-date=1966}}</ref>


==Criticism of using Hitler's health to explain Nazism==
==Criticism of using Hitler's health to explain Nazism==
In a 1980 article, German historian [[Hans-Ulrich Wehler]] was highly dismissive of all theories that sought to attribute the rise and policies of Nazi Germany to some defect, medical or otherwise, of Hitler's. In Wehler's opinion, besides the problem that such theories about Hitler's medical condition were extremely difficult to prove, the problem was that they had the effect of personalising the phenomena of Nazi Germany by more or less attributing everything that happened in the Third Reich to one flawed individual.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Wehler wrote:<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite book|author=Kershaw, Ian |title=The Nazi Dictatorship: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretation|url=https://archive.org/details/nazidictatorship00kers |url-access=registration |location= London |publisher= Arnold |date=2000| page= [https://archive.org/details/nazidictatorship00kers/page/72 72]|isbn=9780340760284 }}</ref>
In a 1980 article, German historian [[Hans-Ulrich Wehler]] was highly dismissive of all theories that sought to attribute the rise and policies of Nazi Germany to some defect, medical or otherwise, of Hitler's. In Wehler's opinion, besides being extremely difficult to prove, these theories essentially attributed the whole phenomenon of Nazi Germany to one flawed individual.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Wehler wrote:<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite book|author=Kershaw, Ian |title=The Nazi Dictatorship: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretation|url=https://archive.org/details/nazidictatorship00kers |url-access=registration |location= London |publisher= Arnold |date=2000| page= [https://archive.org/details/nazidictatorship00kers/page/72 72]|isbn=978-0-340-76028-4 }}</ref>
{{Blockquote|Does our understanding of National Socialist policies really depend on whether Hitler had only one testicle?...Perhaps the ''Führer'' had three, which made things difficult for him, who knows?...Even if Hitler could be regarded irrefutably as a sado-masochist, which scientific interest does that further?...Does the 'Final Solution of the Jewish Question' thus become more easily understandable or the 'twisted road to Auschwitz' become the one-way street of a psychopath in power?}}
{{Blockquote|Does our understanding of National Socialist policies really depend on whether Hitler had only one testicle?...Perhaps the ''Führer'' had three, which made things difficult for him, who knows?...Even if Hitler could be regarded irrefutably as a sado-masochist, which scientific interest does that further?...Does the 'Final Solution of the Jewish Question' thus become more easily understandable or the 'twisted road to Auschwitz' become the one-way street of a psychopath in power?}}


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==Inbreeding as a possible factor==
==Inbreeding as a possible factor==
It has been theorised that Hitler's physical and mental health problems were the result of Hitler having been significantly [[Inbreeding|inbred]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://allthatsinteresting.com/alois-hitler|title=Origins Of Evil: The Rage-Filled Story Of Alois Hitler|first=Gina|last=Dimuro|date=June 11, 2018|website=All That's Interesting}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Vernon |first1=W. H. D. |title=Hitler, the man--notes for a case history. |journal=The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology |date=1942 |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=295–308 |doi=10.1037/h0059954 }}</ref> possibly having [[Possible monorchism of Adolf Hitler|monorchism]],<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.pep-web.org/document.php?id=irp.001.0227a|title=Hitler's Childhood|first=N.|last=Bromberg|date=October 7, 1974|journal=Int. R. Psycho-Anal.|volume=1|pages=227–244|via=PEP Web}}</ref> with his father [[Alois Hitler]] possibly being his mother's second cousin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spartacus-educational.com/GERhitlerK.htm|title=Klara Hitler|website=Spartacus Educational}}</ref> Inbred people have a higher chance of having [[developmental disorder]]s and harmful [[mutation]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pekkala |first1=Nina |last2=Knott |first2=K Emily |last3=Kotiaho |first3=Janne S |last4=Nissinen |first4=Kari |last5=Puurtinen |first5=Mikael |title=The effect of inbreeding rate on fitness, inbreeding depression and heterosis over a range of inbreeding coefficients |journal=Evolutionary Applications |date=November 2014 |volume=7 |issue=9 |pages=1107–1119 |doi=10.1111/eva.12145 |pmid=25553071 |pmc=4231599 |bibcode=2014EvApp...7.1107P }}</ref> There are however no mentions based on clinical exams of such a diagnosis (see Monorchism section above).
It has been theorised that Hitler's physical and mental health problems were the result of his having been significantly [[Inbreeding|inbred]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://allthatsinteresting.com/alois-hitler|title=Origins Of Evil: The Rage-Filled Story Of Alois Hitler|first=Gina|last=Dimuro|date=June 11, 2018|website=All That's Interesting}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Vernon |first1=W. H. D. |title=Hitler, the man--notes for a case history. |journal=The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology |date=1942 |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=295–308 |doi=10.1037/h0059954 }}</ref> with his father, [[Alois Hitler]], possibly being his mother's second cousin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spartacus-educational.com/GERhitlerK.htm|title=Klara Hitler|website=Spartacus Educational}}</ref> Inbred people have a higher chance of having [[developmental disorder]]s and harmful [[mutation]]s,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pekkala |first1=Nina |last2=Knott |first2=K Emily |last3=Kotiaho |first3=Janne S |last4=Nissinen |first4=Kari |last5=Puurtinen |first5=Mikael |title=The effect of inbreeding rate on fitness, inbreeding depression and heterosis over a range of inbreeding coefficients |journal=Evolutionary Applications |date=November 2014 |volume=7 |issue=9 |pages=1107–1119 |doi=10.1111/eva.12145 |pmid=25553071 |pmc=4231599 |bibcode=2014EvApp...7.1107P }}</ref> ostensibly explaining [[#Monorchism|reports of Hitler's monorchism]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bromberg |first=N. |date=October 7, 1974 |title=Hitler's Childhood |url=https://www.pep-web.org/document.php?id=irp.001.0227a |journal=Int. R. Psycho-Anal. |volume=1 |pages=227–244 |via=PEP Web}}</ref> but there is no [[conclusive evidence]] of this applying to Hitler.
 
==References==
'''Footnotes'''


==Explanatory notes==
{{Notelist}}
{{Notelist}}


'''Citations'''
==Citations==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


'''Bibliography'''
==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Bezymenski|first=L.|title=The Death of Adolf Hitler: Unknown Documents from Soviet Archives|publisher=Harcourt Brace|date=1968|isbn=0-7181-0634-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Bezymenski|first=L.|title=The Death of Adolf Hitler: Unknown Documents from Soviet Archives|publisher=Harcourt Brace|date=1968|isbn=0-7181-0634-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Doyle|first=D.|title=Hitler's Medical Care|date=2005|url=http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/publications/articles/journal_35_1/Hitler's_medical_care.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215742/http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/publications/articles/journal_35_1/Hitler's_medical_care.pdf|archive-date=2007-09-27}}
* {{Cite web |last=Blackburn |first=Jack |date=2025-11-12 |title=Hitler had hidden genetic sexual disorder, DNA analysis reveals |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/history/article/dna-analysis-hitler-sexual-disorder-autism-k9wszz3tw |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=The Times |language=en}}
* {{cite journal | vauthors = Boehm U, Bouloux PM, Dattani MT, de Roux N, Dodé C, Dunkel L, Dwyer AA, Giacobini P, Hardelin JP, Juul A, Maghnie M, Pitteloud N, Prevot V, Raivio T, Tena-Sempere M, Quinton R, Young J | title = Expert consensus document: European Consensus Statement on congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism--pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment | journal = Nature Reviews. Endocrinology | volume = 11 | issue = 9 | pages = 547–64 | date = September 2015 | pmid = 26194704 | doi = 10.1038/nrendo.2015.112 | doi-access = free | hdl = 11567/821921 | hdl-access = free |ref={{sfnRef|Boehm et al.|2015}} }}
* {{cite book|last=Doyle|first=D.|title=Hitler's Medical Care|date=2005|url=http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/publications/articles/journal_35_1/Hitler%27s_medical_care.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215742/http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/publications/articles/journal_35_1/Hitler%27s_medical_care.pdf|archive-date=27 September 2007|access-date=25 November 2005}}
* {{cite book|last=Heston|first=L.|title=The Medical Casebook of Adolf Hitler: His Illnesses, Doctors, and Drugs|publisher=Stein & Day|date=1980|isbn=0-8128-2718-X|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/medicalcasebooko0000hest}}
* {{cite book|last=Heston|first=L.|title=The Medical Casebook of Adolf Hitler: His Illnesses, Doctors, and Drugs|publisher=Stein & Day|date=1980|isbn=0-8128-2718-X|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/medicalcasebooko0000hest}}
* {{cite book|last=Heston|first=L.|title=The Medical Casebook of Adolf Hitler|publisher=Cooper Square Press|date=2000|isbn=0-8154-1066-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Heston|first=L.|title=The Medical Casebook of Adolf Hitler|publisher=Cooper Square Press|date=2000|isbn=0-8154-1066-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Heston|first=L.|title=Adolf Hitler: A Medical Descent That Changed History His Drug Abuse, Doctors, Illnesses|publisher=Baypoint Press|date=1999|isbn=0-9665852-9-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Heston|first=L.|title=Adolf Hitler: A Medical Descent That Changed History His Drug Abuse, Doctors, Illnesses|publisher=Baypoint Press|date=1999|isbn=0-9665852-9-1}}
* {{cite book|date=1998|last=Kershaw|first=Ian|author-link=Ian Kershaw|isbn=0-393-04671-0|title=Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris|location=New York|publisher=Norton}}
* {{cite book|date=1998|last=Kershaw|first=Ian|author-link=Ian Kershaw|isbn=0-393-04671-0|title=Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris|location=New York|publisher=Norton}}
* {{cite book|date=2000|last=Kershaw|first=Ian|author-link=Ian Kershaw|isbn=0-393-04994-9|title=Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis|location=New York|publisher=Norton}}
* {{cite book |date=2000 |last=Kershaw |first=Ian |isbn=0-393-04994-9 |title=Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis |location=New York |publisher=Norton}}
* {{cite book |last= Langer |first=Walter C. |isbn = 0465046207 |author-link=Walter C. Langer|title= [[The Mind of Adolf Hitler]]: The Secret Wartime Report|location=New York|publisher= Basic Books|year=1972}}
* {{cite book |last= Langer |first=Walter C. |isbn = 0-465-04620-7 |author-link=Walter C. Langer|title= [[The Mind of Adolf Hitler]]: The Secret Wartime Report|location=New York|publisher= Basic Books|year=1972}}
* {{cite web |last1=Oltermann |first1=Philip |title=Did Hitler really have a 'micropenis'? The dubious documentary analysing the dictator's DNA |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/nov/13/did-hitler-really-have-a-micropenis-hitlers-dna-channel-4-documentary |website=The Guardian |access-date=14 November 2025 |date=13 November 2025}}
* {{cite web |last=Porter |first=Tom |title=Adolf Hitler 'Took Cocktail of Drugs' Reveal New Documents |website=IB Times |date=24 August 2013 |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/hitler-drugs-new-documentary-cocaine-501230 |access-date=22 November 2015}}
* {{cite web |last=Porter |first=Tom |title=Adolf Hitler 'Took Cocktail of Drugs' Reveal New Documents |website=IB Times |date=24 August 2013 |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/hitler-drugs-new-documentary-cocaine-501230 |access-date=22 November 2015}}
* {{cite book|last=Rosenbaum|first=Ron|author-link=Ron Rosenbaum|title=Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil|publisher=Harper Perennial|date=1999|isbn=0-06-095339-X}}
* {{cite book|last=Rosenbaum|first=Ron|author-link=Ron Rosenbaum|title=Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil|publisher=Harper Perennial|date=1999|isbn=0-06-095339-X}}
* {{cite book|last=Schwaab|first=E.|title=Hitler's Mind: A Plunge into Madness|publisher=Praeger Publishers|date=1992|isbn=0-275-94132-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Schwaab|first=E.|title=Hitler's Mind: A Plunge into Madness|publisher=Praeger Publishers|date=1992|isbn=0-275-94132-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ullrich |first=Volker |author-link=Volker Ullrich |url=https://archive.org/details/hitlervolume1asc0000ullr/ |title=Hitler. Ascent, 1889–1939 |publisher=[[The Bodley Head]] |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-84792-286-1 |location=London}}
* {{cite book|last=Victor|first=G.|title=Hitler: The Pathology of Evil|publisher=Potomac Books|date=1999|isbn=1-57488-228-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Victor|first=G.|title=Hitler: The Pathology of Evil|publisher=Potomac Books|date=1999|isbn=1-57488-228-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Zalampas|first=S.|title=Adolf Hitler: A Psychological Interpretation of His Views on Architecture Art and Music|publisher=Bowling Green State University Popular Press|date=1990|isbn=0-87972-488-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Zalampas|first=S.|title=Adolf Hitler: A Psychological Interpretation of His Views on Architecture Art and Music|publisher=Bowling Green State University Popular Press|date=1990|isbn=0-87972-488-9}}
Line 101: Line 125:
* {{cite book|last=Lewis|first=D.|title=The Man Who Invented Hitler: The Making of the Fuhrer|publisher=Headline Book Publishing|date=2004|isbn=0-7553-1149-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Lewis|first=D.|title=The Man Who Invented Hitler: The Making of the Fuhrer|publisher=Headline Book Publishing|date=2004|isbn=0-7553-1149-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Machtan|first=Lothar|title=[[The Hidden Hitler]]|editor=trans. J. Brownjohn|publisher=Basic Books|date=2002|isbn=0-465-04308-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Machtan|first=Lothar|title=[[The Hidden Hitler]]|editor=trans. J. Brownjohn|publisher=Basic Books|date=2002|isbn=0-465-04308-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Murray |first=Henry A. |title=Analysis of the Personality of Adolph Hitler: With Predictions of His Future Behavior and Suggestions for Dealing with Him Now and After Germany's Surrender |date=1943 |url=http://library.lawschool.cornell.edu/WhatWeHave/SpecialCollections/Donovan/Hitler/index.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050130100645/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FQP/is_n4406_v127/ai_21238666 |archive-date=2005-01-30 }}
* {{cite book|last=Murray |first=Henry A. |title=Analysis of the Personality of Adolph Hitler: With Predictions of His Future Behavior and Suggestions for Dealing with Him Now and After Germany's Surrender |date=1943 |url=https://library.lawschool.cornell.edu/WhatWeHave/SpecialCollections/Donovan/Hitler/index.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050130100645/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FQP/is_n4406_v127/ai_21238666 |archive-date=2005-01-30 }}
* {{cite book|last=Waite|first=Robert G. L.|title=The Psychopathic God: Adolf Hitler|publisher=DaCapo Press|location=New York|date=1993|isbn=0-306-80514-6|orig-year=1977|url=https://archive.org/details/psychopathicgoda00wait_0}}
* {{cite book|last=Waite|first=Robert G. L.|title=The Psychopathic God: Adolf Hitler|publisher=DaCapo Press|location=New York|date=1993|isbn=0-306-80514-6|orig-date=1977|url=https://archive.org/details/psychopathicgoda00wait_0}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_128b.html Did Hitler have only one testicle?] from ''The Straight Dope''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060710194334/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/hitleross5.html OSS document alleging sexual deviancy]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060710194334/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/hitleross5.html OSS document alleging sexual deviancy]
* [http://www.history.com/shows.do?action=detail&episodeId=276803 History Channel's Episode - High Hitler]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}


{{Adolf Hitler|state=collapsed}}
{{Adolf Hitler|state=collapsed}}

Latest revision as of 05:13, 31 December 2025

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File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1970-097-76, Hitler-Attentat vom 20. Juli 1944 crop.jpg
Adolf Hitler (right) showing Benito Mussolini the wreckage of the room Hitler was in when an assassination attempt by bombing occurred at his Wolf's Lair headquarters. While he recovered from those injuries, Hitler's health had been on a decline for some time before the incident, and he never returned to the state of fitness he had enjoyed before.

The health of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945, has long been a subject of popular controversy. Both his physical and mental health have come under scrutiny.

During his younger days, Hitler's health was generally good, despite his lack of exercise and a poor diet, which he later replaced with a mostly vegetarian one. Even then, Hitler had a very strong sweet tooth and would often eat multiple cream cakes at a sitting.Template:Sfn[1] Later, as the tension and pressure of being the Führer of Germany began to take its toll, Hitler's health took a downturn from which he never really recovered. Exacerbated by the many drugs and potions he was given by his unconventional doctor, Theodor Morell, and undermined by Hitler's own hypochondria, his premonition of a short lifespan, and his fear of cancer (which killed his mother), the dictator's health declined almost continuously until his death by suicide in 1945.

By the time of his last public appearance, one month before his death, March 1945,[2] in the garden of the New Reich Chancellery building, where he reviewed and congratulated teenaged Volkssturm ("People's Storm") and Hitler Youth soldiers for their efforts in the Battle of Berlin against the Soviet Red Army, Hitler was bent over, shuffled when he walked, and could not stop his left arm, which he held behind him, from trembling. His eyes were glassy, his skin was greasy, and his speech could sometimes barely be heard. He looked to be much older than his actual age, which was 56, and hardly resembled the charismatic orator who had led the Nazi Party to power.

Trauma

First World War

Hitler's mustard gas claim has been disputed by many historians. Supposedly, during World War I, Hitler served as a dispatch runner for the List Regiment of the Bavarian Army. On the night of 13–14 October 1918, he and his comrades were victims of an Allied mustard gas attack near Ypres, Belgium. They had been leaving their dug-out to retreat when the attack occurred, and were partially blinded by it. Hitler received initial treatment in Flanders, and on 21 October was sent to the military hospital in Pasewalk near Stettin in Pomerania. It is believed that instead of being treated for a gas attack, Hitler was being treated for syphilis. It was there that Hitler learned that Germany had asked the Allies for an armistice.Template:Sfn He also learned that revolution was in the air. Hitler later claimed that it was while recuperating at Pasewalk that he became a virulent antisemite, although historians consider this to be unlikely, especially when Hitler referred to his conversion in terms of a vision he received. He left the hospital on 19 November, eight days after the armistice was signed.Template:Sfn

1944 assassination attempt

As a result of the 20 July 1944 assassination attempt – in which he survived a bomb explosion at his Wolf's Lair headquarters – both of his eardrums were punctured, and he had numerous superficial wounds, including blisters, burns, and 200 wood splinters on his hands and legs, cuts on his forehead, abrasions and swelling on his left arm, and a right arm that was swollen, painful, and difficult to raise, causing him to use his left hand to greet Benito Mussolini, who arrived that day for a previously scheduled summit meeting. The punctured eardrums were the most serious of these injuries.Template:Sfn Weeks later, blood was still seeping through Hitler's bandages, and he suffered sharp pain in the right ear, as well as hearing loss. The eardrums took several weeks to heal, during which Hitler suffered from dizziness and a loss of balance which made him awkwardly hew to the right when walking. In addition, his blood pressure was high. One unusual result was that the trembling in Hitler's hands and left leg, which had increasingly afflicted him for sometime, abated for a time after the explosion, which Morell attributed to nervous shock; it returned in mid-September.Template:Sfn[3]

Syphilis

Hitler's tremor and irregular heartbeat during the last years of his life could have been symptoms of tertiary (late stage) syphilis,[4] which would mean he had a syphilis infection for many years. However, syphilis had become curable in 1910 with Dr. Paul Ehrlich's introduction of the drug Salvarsan.

In The Man with the Miraculous Hands, his biography of Dr. Felix Kersten, journalist Joseph Kessel wrote that in the winter of 1942, Kersten heard of Hitler's medical condition. Consulted by his patient, Heinrich Himmler, as to whether he could "assist a man who suffers from severe headaches, dizziness and insomnia", Kersten was shown a top-secret 26-page report. It detailed how Hitler had contracted syphilis in his youth and was treated for it at a hospital in Pasewalk. However, in 1937, symptoms re-appeared, showing that the disease was still active, and by the start of 1942, signs were evident that progressive syphilitic paralysis (tabes dorsalis) was occurring. Himmler advised Kersten that Theodor Morell (who in the 1930s claimed to be a venereologist) was in charge of Hitler's treatment and that it was a state secret. The book also relates how Kersten learned from Himmler's secretary, Rudolf Brandt, that at that time, probably the only other people privy to the report's information were Nazi Party chairman Martin Bormann and Hermann Göring, the head of the Luftwaffe.[5] Interestingly, Morrell was trained as a general practitioner physician. However his specialty was neither dermatology nor venereology but in fact obstetrics and gynaecology. Despite his lack of training, Morrell did treat Hitler (who had an obsessive fear of venereal disease) with Arsenobenzol, designated "606," Salvarsan, Neosalvarsan with bismuth, and iodine salts.[6]

Monorchism

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". It has been alleged that Hitler had monorchism, the medical condition of having only one testicle. In 2008, a British newspaper reported that in 1916, a German doctor named Johan Jambor had encountered an injured Hitler during the Battle of the Somme.[7] Jambor allegedly asserted that Hitler – who is known to have suffered a groin injury in the battle – had in fact lost a testicle. Jambor had supposedly described the dictator's condition to a priest, who later wrote down what he had been told.[7]

Soviet doctor Lev Bezymensky, allegedly involved in the Soviet autopsy, stated in a 1967 book that Hitler's left testicle was missing. Bezymensky later admitted that the claim was falsified.[8]

Hitler was routinely examined by many doctors throughout his childhood, military service, and later political career, and no clinical mention of any such condition has ever been discovered. Eduard Bloch, Hitler's childhood doctor, told U.S. interrogators in 1943 that Hitler's genitals were in fact "completely normal".[9]

Huntington's disease

It has been speculated that Hitler had Huntington's disease. When many of the physical symptoms shown in newsreels during his later life – his hand tremor and shuffling gait – are coupled with his alleged mental and psychological deterioration, they may also point toward Huntington's. This is only conjecture, since a definitive diagnosis would require DNA testing.[10] Although Huntington's disease was known and considered a hereditary disease during the time period, even appearing in state papers on the sterilisation list, it is not known if Hitler knew of this condition.[11][12]

Parkinson's disease

It has been speculated Hitler had Parkinson's disease. Newsreels of Hitler show he had tremors in his left hand and a shuffling walk (also a symptom of tertiary syphilis, see above) which began before the war and continued to worsen until the end of his life. Morell treated Hitler with a drug agent that was commonly used in 1945, although Morell is viewed as an incompetent doctor by most historians and any diagnoses he may have made are subject to doubt.[13]

Dr. Werner Haase, Hitler's personal physician, who was in attendance every day from 21 April until Hitler's suicide on 30 April, was convinced that Hitler had Parkinson's.[14] In addition, Dr. Ernst-Günther Schenck, who worked at an emergency casualty station in the Reich Chancellery during April 1945, also claimed Hitler might have Parkinson's disease. However, Schenck only saw Hitler briefly on two occasions and, by his own admission, was extremely exhausted and dazed during these meetings; at the time, he had been in surgery for numerous days without much sleep.[15][14]

Other complaints

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Hitler's enlarged nose

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According to a medical examination from 1924, Hitler was Script error: No such module "convert". tall and weighed Script error: No such module "convert".,[16] making him slightly overweight. Another examination from 1937 reported his height to be 175.26 cm and his weight to be Script error: No such module "convert".,[17] which puts him in the normal weight category of the body mass index (BMI).

By the 1930s, Hitler suffered from stomach pains, which could be severe after continued stress. In 1935, a non-cancerous polyp was removed from his throat.Template:Sfn Hitler also developed eczema on his legs in 1936, but Morell successfully treated him by the end of 1937.Template:Sfn The dictator sometimes wore glasses to study documents, but forbade the publication of photographs of him wearing them.[18][19]

A maxillar bridge and mandibular fragment (color) against the rest of the jaws (transparent)
Hitler's dental remains

American journalist Frederick Cable Oechsner claimed c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". that Hitler had a rhinoplasty in Munich sometime after 1933 to correct the shape of his nose, as it was purportedly "a little bulbous at the end and fatty on the bridge";[20][21] a 2007 medical analysis was unable to find evidence of this.[22] Hitler's secretary Christa Schroeder similarly claimed that he first donned his toothbrush moustache (c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".) to distract from a supposedly large nose,[23] but this was only visibly engorged closer to the end of WWII.[24]Template:Sfn[25]

Hitler is often asserted by fringe theories to have faked his death in 1945, implying a marginal mandibulectomy[26] (with certain eyewitnesses providing different stories about why the dental remains might be found detached).[27] According to one report to the FBI, Hitler allegedly made it to Argentina and was suffering from asthma and ulcers.[28]Template:Efn

In 2025, blood from the sofa where Hitler committed suicide was used by Turi King of the University of Bath for DNA analysis. The blood was confirmed to be Hitler's by comparing it to DNA from a relative with shared paternal ancestry.Template:Sfn Analysis of the genetic material revealed that he had markers for Kallmann syndrome, a genetic disorder that prevents a person from starting or fully completing puberty. Many males with the syndrome have an undescended testicle and 10 percent have a micropenis; most have low testosterone levels.Template:Sfn An additional symptom of Kallmann syndrome is a reduced or total lack of sense of smell.Template:Sfn King cites Hitler's facial hair and relatively deep tone in the only known recording of him speaking unofficially as showing that he did enter puberty.[29]

Mental health

Template:Excerpt

Drug use

Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote". Prescribed 90 medications during the war years by Morell, Hitler took up to 28 pills a day for his various ailments.Template:Sfn He regularly consumed methamphetamine,Template:Sfn barbiturates, opiates, cocaine,[30]Template:Sfn testosterone (regularly from 1944 on),[31][32] potassium bromide, and deadly nightshade (in the form of Doktor Koster's Antigaspills).Template:Sfn

According to Käthe Heusermann (assistant to Hitler's dentist, Hugo Blaschke) Hitler would accept "only the bare minimum" of anesthetic, sitting motionlessly through a dental extraction in November 1944.[33]

Criticism of using Hitler's health to explain Nazism

In a 1980 article, German historian Hans-Ulrich Wehler was highly dismissive of all theories that sought to attribute the rise and policies of Nazi Germany to some defect, medical or otherwise, of Hitler's. In Wehler's opinion, besides being extremely difficult to prove, these theories essentially attributed the whole phenomenon of Nazi Germany to one flawed individual.[34] Wehler wrote:[34]

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Does our understanding of National Socialist policies really depend on whether Hitler had only one testicle?...Perhaps the Führer had three, which made things difficult for him, who knows?...Even if Hitler could be regarded irrefutably as a sado-masochist, which scientific interest does that further?...Does the 'Final Solution of the Jewish Question' thus become more easily understandable or the 'twisted road to Auschwitz' become the one-way street of a psychopath in power?

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Echoing Wehler's views, British historian Ian Kershaw argued that it was better to take a broader view of German history by seeking to examine what social forces led to the Third Reich and its policies, as opposed to the "personalised" explanations for the Holocaust and World War II.[34]

In his book Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil (1998), American journalist Ron Rosenbaum sarcastically remarked that theories concerning Hitler's mental state and sexual activity shed more light on the theorists and their culture than on Hitler.Template:Sfn

Inbreeding as a possible factor

It has been theorised that Hitler's physical and mental health problems were the result of his having been significantly inbred,[35][36] with his father, Alois Hitler, possibly being his mother's second cousin.[37] Inbred people have a higher chance of having developmental disorders and harmful mutations,[38] ostensibly explaining reports of Hitler's monorchism,[39] but there is no conclusive evidence of this applying to Hitler.

Explanatory notes

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Citations

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Kessel, Joseph. The Man With the Miraculous Hands: The Fantastic Story of Felix Kersten, Himmler's Private Doctor. Classics of War Series. Springfield, NJ: Burford Books, 2004. Template:ISBN.
  6. ↑ Hitler's Health
  7. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Bezymensky L. A. Operatsija "Mif" ili skolko raz choronili Gitlera. Moscow 1995
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Multiple sources:
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  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".

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Bibliography

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Further reading

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External links

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