IBDP History Internal Assessment
Wordcount: 2,195
Section A
Did Hitler have a monorchism? To answer this question two sources, one being Hitler’s
autopsy of 1945 and the other a study on Hitler’s medical history will be examined.
Source A
Besymenski, L. (1982). Der Tod des Adolf Hitler: Der sowjetische Beitrag ¨uber das Ende des Dritten Reiches und seines Diktators. Second Edition. Munich, F. A. Herbig Verlagsbuchhandlung.
This source has been crucial for my investigation as it includes the only attainable account of the official Russian autopsy of Hitler, originally published 1968 and literally mentions Hitler’s missing testicle1.
A value of content is that the autopsy is a legal medical document that has to be composed truthfully and unbiased2, therefore it should be reliable regarding any deformities of Hitler. The autopsy was led by Dr. Schkarawski, chief medical examiner of the soviet front3 and Dr. Krajewski, a soviet specialist in pathological anatomy4; being accredited medical professionals, they provided assumably accurate and reliable interpretations. The autopsy’s main purpose was to examine and verify Hitler’s identity5, making it unlikely that performing physicians would have time, or reason to include false information. Besymenski responds to the controversial question regarding the withheld publication of Hitler’s autopsy. Hitler’s death was concealed by Stalin to ensure an easier search for other war criminals, “Stalin’s main objective 1945 was the prosecution of the remains of fascism in the entire world”6 making the autopsy
However, the credibility of content has been scotched as historians and scientists concluded that the Russian autopsy of Hitler, and its account, had been faked by examining a different body. Pathologist Nick Bellantoni examined Hitler’s skull in Moscow, 2001 and determined that the skull was female7. Given this, information regarding Hitler’s testicles is questionable. The autopsy’s purpose was later described to degrade Hitler’s character, presenting him as a person who committed a weak suicide (through cyanide) and him being only ‘half’ a man with one testicle8. Besymenski stated in an interview with Spiegel that the KGB controlled the books’ content9 after he found inconsistent data in the documents, implying that his work and the autopsy are questionable at best. Originally published August 1968, during the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, the coincidental timing alludes to the publication serving as a diversion of the public’s attention, reducing the reliability.
Source B
Schenk, Gunther E. (2000). Patient Hitler: Eine medizinische Biographie. Augsburg, Bechterm¨unz Verlag.
This source has been pivotal for my investigation as it provides a synopsis of all available medical documents by Hitler’s personal physician Dr. Morell.
A value of content is Morell’s documentation regarding Hitler’s health since only Morell was allowed to examine the F¨uhrers genitals10, corroborated by Albert Speer who noted that Morell was the only doctor Hitler trusted11. The content is highly valuable for what it fails to mention; purposefully not touching the issue of Hitler’s monorchism. Schenk himself was a doctor of medicine12, allowing him to provide in depth, reliable explanations and interpretations of Morell’s diagnoses. The book’s purpose was to provide an accurate analysis and interpretation of Morell’s cooperation with Hitler, to create a compendium of Hitler’s medical history13. Schenck confirms the theory of Hitler’s Parkinson’s disease14, thereby facing Hitler critically, supporting the assumption that Schenck would note any deformities of Hitler truthfully.
However, Schenk and Morell showed definite biases regarding Hitler, resulting in information being presented in a sugarcoating manner. Morell was a high member of the Nazi regime and the only doctor to earn Hitler’s trust15,resulting in his work being Hitler positive and unreliable; the content should be regarded critically. Schenk was a member of the SS, SA16 and had a career as a doctor through the Nazi regime, resulting in a definite bias regarding Hitler. 1943 Schenk developed a protein sausage for NS-troops and was allowed to test it on 370 KZ-prisoners, of whom many died17, showing the status Schenk enjoyed. Also noteworthy is that Shenk thanked David Irwing, a known holocaust denier18, to be a long-term friend of his and is explicitly mentioned to have helped during the creation of this book19, suggesting that Schenk is Nazi positive and would not include information compromising Hitler.
Section B
Hitler, has only got one ball.
Goering, has two but very small.
Himmler, has something similar.
And poor old Goebbels has no balls at all.
Although created to raise the spirits of soldiers and to ridicule the enemy via the melody of Colonel Bogey20, could there be some truth to the first claim? Topics like these are crucial towards understanding history, as they provide insight into the psychology of historical figures. Historian Robert Waite dedicated an entire book towards a psychological analysis of Hitler21. Having one testicle can be caused in two ways, the first is having it surgically removed sometime after birth, the second being born with one. The condition of being born with one testicle is a Monorchism cryptorchidism, meaning that one testicle does not descend into the scrotal sack during foetal development22. A monorchism can lead to psychological trauma and the need to compensate for the ‘lack’ of masculinity through other factors such as speech or aggression, which would explain parts of Hitler’s emotive character. This historical exploration will argue that Hitler had a monorchism.
There are numerous myths regarding the state of Hitler’s genitalia, of which none have yet been proven to be true; most myths cover the removal of one testicle. The most popular theory states that Hitler was injured through shrapnel during the battle of the Somme, resulting in his right testicle having to be surgically removed. Military surgeon Johan Jambor claimed to have removed Hitler’s testicle while caring for him at the Somme; Jambor later shared this information during confession, feeling guilty of helping Hitler, to priest Franciszek Pawlar who spread this information23. In 2008, Alex Peake reporter of the London newspaper Sun claimed to have a document containing the transcript of Jambor’s confession24. Peake never published, or shared the document and had no further proof of its existence. The most bizarre theory involves a goat. Apparently, Gefreiter Eugen Wasner, a childhood friend of Hitler, stated 1943 that he witnessed Hitler losing his testicle as a child. According to Wasner, the boys placed a bet for Hitler to urinate into a goat’s mouth; Hitler proceeded and the goat bit down during the process, leading to Hitler’s monorchism and a deformed penis25. Two days after Wasner revealed this childhood encounter, he was in detention and was shortly after executed for hounding the Führer. The goat theory supports the suggestion of Hitler’s monorchism, as there would be no logical reason for a childhood friend of Hitler, holding
the rank of Gefreiter, to populate such information at random.
When investigating Hitler’s monorchism, sources tend to disagree. Historian Besymenski included a translated account of the Russian autopsy of the corpses found in the Führerbunker 1945. Besymenski accounts that the procedure of the autopsies were focused on two points: identifying the corpses and the cause of death, through observation and a diagnosis; the purpose was not to degrade the personalities for propaganda. According to Soviet rules for the diagnosis of an autopsy, the performing doctors have three days to conclude; if the doctors demand additional examinations (such as a chemical examination), the deadline for a diagnosis is extended26 resulting in what presumably was Hitler’s corpse to be intact, making observations valid. All autopsies here were structured in the same way, consisting of a list of people involved, the external examination, internal examination, comments, and attachments, making each autopsy reliable. Following that comes the conclusive report consisting of the anatomic characteristics of the corpse and the official cause of death.
File 12 was the autopsy of what would be declared as Hitler’s corpse. Within both the external examination and the anatomic characteristic report of file 12 it is mentioned that Hitler’s “left testicle could not be located in the scrotum, spermatic cord, within the inguinal cord, or in the small hip”27. Due to the medical nature of this report, it is clear that Hitler had only one testicle since autopsies have to be legally performed correctly and truthfully. It is not mentioned or speculated what the cause was, resulting in the cause of the monorchism being open for interpretation; he could have had a Cryptorchidism, an operation during the war, or the goat story could have been true.
However, the Russian autopsy is deemed unreliable due to the controversy surrounding Hitler’s cause of death (cyanide or shotgun) as Besymenski stated in an interview with Spiegel that the KGB controlled the book’s content28 after he found inconsistent data in the documents. According to Russian historian Alexander Smolianski29 the autopsy in itself was conducted correctly, just that the cause of death was altered to prevent Hitler from becoming a martyr, dying a ‘respectable’ death.
The theory of Hitler’s monorchism is supported by Prof. Dr. Peter Fleischmann. Fleischmann’s book presents a collection of more than 500 documents, verified by the Bavarian government30, of Hitler’s time in jail, including the admission book of 1924.
The admission book is crucial for this investigation, as it includes the compulsory medical examination that takes place when entering prison. According to §84 Abs. 2 StVollzG, this medical examination includes checking the genitalia. Within the document of the medical examination, it is reported: Adolf Hitler, 35, left-side Cryptorchidism31. This document is the only official, still existing, reliable source regarding Hitler’s genital anatomy. The admission examination was performed by Dr. Brinsteiner32who had worked at Landsberg am Lech since his doctorate and had no personal affiliation to Hitler suggesting that he checked him correctly. Furthermore, at the time of Hitler’s arrest, his following was pretty small and he was seen as a criminal figure by most Bavarians who would be forgotten soon, resulting in there being no need to include false information. Hitler was one of 99 people recorded in the admission book so medical examinations were done after a strict routine, which led to no reason for Hitler to receive special treatment. Hitler indeed received special treatment during his time in Landsberg, however, this only started after he had spent months in prison and made himself popular33, resulting in the medical examination being unbiased. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that Hitler had a monorchism.
However, Dr. Schenk rejects the theory of Hitler’s monorchism. His book provides a synopsis of all known documents and notes of Hitler’s personal physician, Dr. Morell. Schenk’s passage regarding medical checks of the abdomen (and genitalia) states that “Morell, the only doctor who examined the genitalia found no sicknesses or abnormalities”34, showing no documentation of a monorchism, or other deformations. Schenk’s chapter on Hitler’s sexuality confronts the discussion of how deformities in Hitler’s genitalia could explain certain personality traits. He notes how abnormalities could express themselves in two distinct diagnoses, of which one would be hypospadias, a pre-birth disorder in which the urethra does not fully close35; he mentions that there has been no medical proof for such a diagnosis, revoking the theory of Hitler having any genital abnormalities. Other than that, the topic of genitals is not touched within his book, leading to the assumption that no medical examination or diagnosis regarding the topic has been made by Dr. Morell. However, regarding Section A of this investigation, this source is deemed as highly biased and therefore unreliable when discussing topics that would compromise Hitler’s image.
Though it is impossible to know if Hitler had a monorchism cryptorchidism (since birth) due to a lack of sources, it is possible to argue that he had a monorchism. This conclusion has been made due to Fleischmann’s compelling source since it includes the verified medical examination of 1923 which was performed without bias and is of sufficient reliability. Furthermore, the source disproving Hitler’s monorchism (Schenk) lacks legitimacy and reliability.
Section C
The autopsy of Hitler’s burnt corpse is, other than Dr. Brinsteiner’s medical check, the only accessible medical examination of Hitler’s genitals since Morell had been the only person to examine Hitler alive, resulting in there being only three sources of which research can be based off. Furthermore, research regarding Nazi history is especially challenging, as several documents were destroyed, especially documents that could compromise the Führer’s image. Additionally, topics such as the number of Hitler’s testicles are often not taken seriously enough for historians to investigate, creating a very scarce pool of sources one can rely on. The scarcity of resources highlighted how historians are sometimes forced to resort to speculation during research.
Historical research within areas of natural sciences is quite challenging, as historians do not have the education and understanding to correctly interpret medicinal data, having to rely on interpretations of outside sources. Human sciences also present challenges for historians, they shift their focus to examine history from different perspectives; a psychological perspective has long been overlooked. Thomas A. Kohut claims that historians ‘have criticised psychohistorians for emphasizing unconscious motive rather than conscious purpose’36 illustrating how psychohistory had not been an accredited field of history. Society now places its focus on how gender and sexuality can impact an individual to explain character traits, though processes and decision making; an analysis of Hitler’s testicles could be crucial towards understanding him as a character. Understanding Hitler’s psychopathography, possibly suffering from PTSD, Paranoia, Sociopathy37 possibly having a monorchism, which at the time would be perceived as unmanly by society, allows historians to derive Hitler’s thought processes and focus on creating a new understanding of history and Hitler as an individual.
Endnotes
2Finkbeiner, Ursell, Davis, Autopsy Pathology, 22.
3Eberle, Neumann, War Hitler krank? 148.
4Eberle, Neumann, War Hitler krank? 148.
5Daly-Groves, Hitler’s Death, 18.
6Besymenski, Der Tod des Adolf Hitler, 219.
7Lotozo, The Truth About Hitler’s Skull.
8Eberle, Neumann, War Hitler krank? 230.
9Hitlers letzte Reise.
11Speer, Inside the Third Reich, 263.
12Schenk, Das Notlazarett unter der Reichskanzlei, 203.
13Schenk, Patient Hitler, 10.
14Breo, Hitler’s Last Day.
15Speer, Inside the Third Reich, 265.
16Schenk, Patient Hitler, 536.
17Reineke, Der Arzt von Berlin.
18Stenekes, History Denied, 142.
19Schenk, Patient Hitler, 537.
21Waite, The Psychopathic God.
22Sharma, Sharma, Bhardwaj, Dewan, Aziz, Singh, Monorchism cryptorchidism.
23Rosenbaum, Everything you need to know about Hitler’s “missing” testicle.
24Peake, German Medic’s Account Confirms Hitler Had Only one testicle.
25Küuntzel, Die Ziege die Hitler den Penis abbiss.
27Besymenski, Der Tod des Adolf Hitler, 181.
28Hitlers letzte Reise.
29Private Interview.
30Fleischmann, Hitler als H¨aftling in Landsberg am Lech, 9.
32Gefangnis in Landsberg: Was die Arzte damals zu seiner Gesundheit schrieben.
33Fleischmann, Hitler als Häftling in Landsberg am Lech, 45.
34Schenk, Patient Hitler, 24.
35Schenk, Patient Hitler, 125.
