Otmar von Verschuer

Otmar (Reinhold Ralph Ernst) baron von Verschuer (1896 - 1969) is a German doctor eugenist which was one of the major theorists of the Politiques racists of Third Reich for the period Nazi.

Biography

From 1927 to 1935, he is the assistant of famous the directing Eugen Fischer of the Institute of anthropology, human heredity and eugenism Kaiser-Wilhelm of Berlin where he directs the department of human genetics.

In 1935, Otmar von Verschuer will become Directeur of the Institute of biology of heredity and racial hygiene of the university of Frankfurt.

In 1942, it replaces Eugen Fischer, leaving in retirement, with the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institute of Berlin in 1942, where it will be joined by Fritz Lenz, another inspirer of the political eugenist Nazi of Adolf Hitler.

During the Second world war, it inspired and made finance the “medical Expériences Nazis” carried out by her assistant, Doctor Josef Mengele. Various bodies, of the members, blood coming from deportees infected beforehand by the typhoid one, were taken by Josef Mengele then sent to Otmar Von Verschueret with other members of the Institute Kaiser Wilhelm.

After the defeat Nazi, it was worried little by the “Dénazification”. Otmar Von Verschuer destroyed its correspondence with Josef Mengele and claimed, with its lawsuit, all to be unaware of of Auschwitz and the methods of its disciple. It also made play its relations and its prestige among in particular allied scientific community near Franz Josef $kalman and Léo Alexander, the medical expert as a chief of the Court, all two future colleagues of Von Verschuer to ASHG ( American company of Human Genetics ) supported by Rockfeller.

He was condemned to a fine of 600 deutschemarks as a Mitläufer (fellow traveller of the Nazi party) by the court of Frankfurt.

In 1956, for its sixtieth birthday, he becomes member of the American Eugenics Society and the ASHG, gathering geneticists among most eminent who dedicated to him a booklet published by the the Vatican.

Until 1968, Otmar Von Verschuer directed thereafter prestigious Institut of human genetics of the university of Münster, and was considered and honoured in the whole world.

During its career, it was pursued the study of the hereditary predispositions of diseases and criminality, and it defended the completely exceeded thesis of the existence of germinatif plasma. Eugenist, it is delighted by arrived by Hitler at the capacity and sees in him “the chief of the ethno-empire is the first statesman which made data of hereditary biology and eugenic guiding principle in the control of the State. ”

In 1935 he stated being “responsible to ensure that the care of genes and the race, in which Germany was a world leader, has a base so strong which they can resist any attack of outside. ”

In 1937, at the time of a conference, it distinguished “the quantitative demographic policy and social hygiene practices” aiming “the limitation of the reproduction of those which are hereditarily sick and of little value” and finally the “racial policy to the restricted direction” the purpose of which was “the maintenance of the racial specificity of the people” in particular “the fight against the intrusion of foreign racial elements. ”

Publication

Der Erbartzt , re-examined eugenist published under the direction of Otmar von Verschuer,
Manual of Eugénique and human Hérédité. Translates into French by George Montandon. P., Masson. 1943
Rassenbiologie der Juden (racial Biology of the Jews) (1938)

Bibiliography

"Otmar von Verschuer (1896-1969) and the functions socio-policies of l" hygiene raciale" , SEX AND RACE n° 07 1991-1992 (Liliane CRIPS), ISBN: 2-9067-3110-2, Publication PARIS 7

Reference

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