Previously unexamined Nazi-era documents and patient records suggest that Prof. Hans Asperger, known for his early studies on mental disorders in children and whose name describes a form of autism, was actively involved in the Nazi regime's euthanasia programme in Austria. This is contrary to his claims of shielding his patients during the Nazi regime's tyranny, and shows that likely he likely ingratiated himself by referring children to a notorious euthanasia clinic, the notorious Am Spiegelgrund clinic in Vienna.
It's important to note Prof. Asperger's actual contribution with regards to autism here I think. At the time, his work largely went unnoticed and his studies on psychological disorders only acquired world renown posthumously. What we now call Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which includes Asperger Syndrome, he originally called Autistic Psychopathy (which I find mildly amusing). It wasn't until a resurgence in the 1980's and as a result of his earlier research that the term Asperger Syndrome was first used to honour his contributions. The fact that Prof. Asperger spent so much of his career in Nazi-occupied Vienna have caused some controversy regarding his potential ties to National Socialism and its race hygiene policies in these several decades since. Asperger Syndrome was first officially recognized in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1994 but has since been removed, as of the publication of DSM-5 in 2013.
This was all uncovered by Austrian medical historian Herwig Czech, who reported his findings in the journal Molecular Autism. In it he says;
"[Prof Asperger] managed to accommodate himself to the Nazi regime and was rewarded for his affirmations of loyalty with career opportunities"
I didn't really know the full history behind Prof. Asperger, AS and how diagnosis first came about but this doesn't really strike me as being particularly shocking. It might clash with our initial perceptions of the world, where there is good and evil, good people and bad people, but the reality is pretty different. Doctors are not inherently good people, and self-preservation (if it can be called that) is a strong motivator.
What do you think about this news? What do you think about the idea of phasing out the use of Asperger Syndrome completely? Let me know your thoughts and feelings in the comment section down below, and as always make sure to follow me for the latest Cryptocurrency, Internet and Pop Culture updates. Until next time, Peace!
Sources:
Hans Asperger, National Socialism, and “race hygiene” in Nazi-era Vienna on Molecular Atom (https://molecularautism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13229-018-0208-6)
Image from (page 8) of: Frith U (1991). "Asperger and his syndrome". In Frith U. Autism and Asperger syndrome. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–36. ISBN 0-521-38608-X (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22643496)