Did Parkinson's disease lose Hitler the war? Study claims the condition made the Fuhrer reckless and violent
- By the end of his life, Hitler had a pronounced tremor in his hands
- This has led some scientists to question whether he had Parkinson's
- Latest study says horrific murders were influenced by the disease
- The condition may have led him to attack Russia prematurely in 1941
By the end of his life, Adolf Hitler had a pronounced tremor in his hands, particularly his left hand, which has caused a number of scientists to question whether he had the disease (right). A new study claims the neurological disease influenced some of the dictator's biggest decisions, making lose World War II
The study was led by Raghav Gupta and a team at the University of Pittsburgh and recently published in the journal World Neurosurgery.
'The possibility of Hitler suffering from Parkinson's has long been the subject of debate,' writes Gupta
'Video evidence depicts that Hitler exhibited progressive motor function deterioration from 1933 to 1945.'
By the end of his life, Hitler had a pronounced tremor in his hands, particularly his left hand, which has caused a number of scientists to question whether he had the disease.
Parkinson's can also cause a slow gait, bent posture and a dull stare, along with cognitive disorders such as a lack of imagination and a general apathy.
The researchers suggest that Hitler's condition may have led him to attack Russia prematurely in 1941, according to a report in Discover.
A previous study claimed that Hitler's decision to invade Russia, before defeating Britain on the western front, was a direct result of his failing health.
The study points to other bad decisions of Hitler's such the failure to defend Normandy in 1944, alongside keeping his forces in Stalingrad in 1942.
They say this was the result of the dictator's 'volatile temperament' which may have been aggravated by his Parkinson's.
The study also goes on to suggest that Hitler's lack of remorse and sympathy can be associated with his Parkinson's.
'Hitler's inhumane personality, marked by a true lack of sympathy and remorse, can also be ascribed to his condition, often compelling him to act in ways that we today characterise as brutal, callous, and unethical,' the authors say.
As Discover points out, the problem with this theory is that it can't explain Hitler's behaviour before 1933, as Hitler had shown signs of his destructive temperament long before that.
Dr John Murphy, executive vice president of Danbury Hospital, has previously put forward the same theory.
He argues the root cause of Hitler's Parkinson's disease may have been a condition known as Von Economo's encephalitis, which a swelling of the brain that can occur after an infection.
That infection may have been picked up by Hitler in the 1918 influenza epidemic, which killed 50 million people.
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July 1, 2015
Adolf Hitler suffering from
Parkinson's disease played a crucial role in the defeat of Nazi Germany in
World War II, according to a new study by American scientists.
A group of American neurologists
from the University of Pittsburgh led by Raghav Gupta claim that
some of Adolf Hitler's most disastrous decisions were influenced
by his Parkinson's disease; playing a significant role in the defeat
of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, according to research
published by the World Neurosurgery journal.
Even though there is nothing new
in the idea that Hitler suffered from Parkinson’s by the end
of his life, the new study argues that the disease may have had an impact
on large parts of Hitler's career, prompting him to take
impulsive and reckless decisions, and finally causing him lose World War II.
"We purport that Germany's
defeat in World War II was influenced by Hitler's questionable and
risky decision-making and his inhumane and callous personality, both
of which were likely affected by his Parkinson's condition," the
authors of the study said.
They mentioned a spate of common
symptoms of the disease, such as "a reduction in control
of voluntary movements, rigidity and tremors [in hands]" that are
"marked by a severe deterioration in motor function." There
is still a big question mark over what causes Parkinson's disease.
As for Hitler, his deteriorating
health may have prodded him to attack Russia prematurely in 1941,
according to the researchers.
They argue that Hitler's
"volatile temperament" may have been exacerbated by his
Parkinson’s, something that resulted in Hitler taking a raft of bad
decisions. These include his refusal to allow his forces to withdraw
from Stalingrad in 1942 and the failure to defend Normandy
in 1944.
The authors of the study go even
further and suggest that his suffering from Parkinson's added
to Hitler's "inhumane" nature.
"Hitler’s inhumane personality,
marked by a true lack of sympathy and remorse, can also be ascribed
to his condition, often compelling him to act in ways that we
today characterize as brutal, callous, and unethical," they said.
Separately, the study suggests that
that Hitler developed the early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease long
before 1933.
According to the research, it
occurred "sometime after World War I, including dyspepsia, colon
spasms, and pathological sleep habits such as severe insomnia."
http://health.einnews.com/article/273739232/PWonRDBnx2NklFBh
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