12-21-2007, 01:50 PM
Diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome as a mental disorder is fundamentally flawed. The scientific basis for it is founded on the unsound unscientific and amoral principles of eugenics. The original title of the eugenic disorder was “Autistic Psychopathy” prior to it being changed to Asperger’s Syndrome. It wasn’t however “autistic” that were the type of people that were being hunted for classification but “psychopaths”. The history behind the syndrome is taken from the Journal of the American Medical Association as reported at the time.
In 1937 The Vienna Psychiatric and Neurologic Association appointed a committee to study the problem of revised insanity laws for Austria. Prominent in the legislative program sponsored by this group was the establishment of state detention institutions for psychopaths who, although not insane within the legal definition, were nevertheless a public menace. Professor Berze pointed out in a lecture to the association that among the psychopaths of the “borderline” type who, in the absence of any definitive mental disease, cannot be declared “insane” are recruited those mentally subnormal criminals who constitute a permanent social menace. If one of these persons is convicted of an offence he may perhaps receive a light punishment or be placed under observation in a psychiatric institution for a time, then soon released as “not insane” to prey upon society. And this occurs even if the person presents an obvious picture of moral insanity. Under the existing Austrian law it is impossible to keep a criminal of the “borderline” type in permanent detention as the hospitals for the insane were already filled to capacity with genuine mental cases. The Vienna psychiatrists recommended not only the detention of dangerous psychopaths but a continuous systematic supervision of all psychopathic persons. This would assure special legal protection of the non-criminal psychopaths. Any abnormal person who believes that some one has wronged or offended him who accordingly utters threats, can, under the proposed legislation, be rendered harmless before he has had the time to make good his threats. (JAMA 109, 1937 page 1465)
In August 1938 The Congress of the European Society of Mental Hygiene met at Munich under the auspices of the German Committee for Mental Hygiene, a branch of the Society of German Neurologists. The following is taken from the recording of that congress. Professor Rudin of Munich presided. The mental hygiene movement is recognised to have originated in America, to have slowly gained headway in other countries after 1905 and to have spread much more rapidly since the world war. The German Association for Mental Hygiene was founded in 1925; it was superseded in 1935 by the mentioned committee. In recent years the latter has stressed the problems of eugenics in conformity with the German national attitude. Even at this congress of the European organization the first theme of discussion was “The Eugenic Marriage” introduced by Morgenthaler of Berne and Chairman Rudin. Morgenthaler spoke on the selection of the marriage partner. In his opinion, every healthy person should marry. Conversely, he opposes the marriage of a person who may be classed as incurably a member of one of the following groups: the feeble minded, the insane, excessively egocentric psychopaths, degenerate hysterics, drug addicts, homosexuals and manifest schizoids. He also is against the marriage of persons unsuited for a tranquil married life because of abnormal aggressiveness, passivity or introversion. (JAMA 111, 1938 No 26)
In 1939 The Society of German Neurologists and Psychiatrists met in Wiesbaden. The president, Professor Rudin, pointed out that psychiatry in its efforts for improving racial hygiene performed a timely and progressive service. He accredited psychiatry with having been the first division of medicine to point out to the state and the national socialist party the dangers latent in psychopathic persons and to give impetus to the well-known legal measures taken. It was fallacious to assume, he said, that psychiatry would become increasingly superfluous, because psychopaths according to the laws governing racial hygiene would soon die out. This assumption involves the danger of deterioration for the psychiatric profession, whereas psychiatry requires the most competent physicians, because it deals with many dangerously ill with hereditary psychoses. He said, “The individual therapeutist may bungle and mar one or two human lives, but the poor psychiatrist, whole generations”. Rudin warned against undermining the reputation of psychiatrists. (JAMA 113 1939 page 1501)
Following Austria’s annexation to the Third Reich in 1938 JAMA’s correspondent to Berlin recorded in Asperger’s Vienna on 4th February 1939 as follows:
“The New Wiener Medizinische Gesellschaft”
“In the train of events under the new regime in Austria the famous Gesellschaft der Aerzte, like many other time-honoured organisations, has lately been dissolved. In 1937 the centenary of the society was celebrated in a manner befitting so illustrious a medical body. The greatest German names in the world of medicine enthusiastically participated in this celebration. The list of speakers and scientific lecturers was brilliant and in keeping with the accomplishments of the society and its reputation. But its continuance was not to be tolerated by the Nazi rulers of Vienna, and, like all the other medical societies, it was disestablished, in the 101st year of its existence. In its stead a new Wiener medizinsche Gesellschaft was created, designed to serve medical practitioners and scientific research. Naturally only Aryan doctors are admitted to membership and in addition foreigners who are unquestionably in sympathy with the regime. The plan of the new society includes sections for the various special disciplines to take the place of the former societies of specialists. There is also newly added a special section for military medicine. The president of the new society is no distinguished clinician; he is the Nazi district governor of Vienna, that is to say a politician who is also an official of the Nazi bureau of national health.
In his inaugural address, February 4, the new president himself stated that he was well aware that many representatives of science were not wholly in accord with the establishment of the new organisation under political rather than under scientific auspices. The president is Dr O. Planner-Plan. This political control has become necessary, he stated, because as district governor he is better informed about local public health affairs than anyone else. Since he has the representatives of science at his beck and call, it is possible for him to draw on consultant opinion in any problem which may arise. As he put it, “Prominent representatives of the various specialities may be commissioned to give an opinion with regard to any questions, and thus their abundant knowledge will be made to serve the nations health.” Dr. Planner-Plan’s address was embroidered with a wealth of detail, which may be briefly summarized: The present speedy tempo of the national work program in Germany not only should be maintained but should be surpassed. This means that a maximal expenditure of energy will be demanded of all German workers and soldiers. A further objective is conservation of the prolonged efficiency of the nations workers. In this connection the physicians have an important mission to fulfil. Specialising physicians, too, have their respective duties, which the president went on to enumerate. At each session of the new society a lecture and demonstrations will be given. It is further planned to correct certain bad features of medical practice; above all, an endeavour will be made to effect better collaboration between directors of clinics and specialists active as consultants.
THE NAZI CREED WITH REGARD TO MEDICINE
The principle address at the inaugural session was delivered by Prof. Franz Hamburger, ordinarius in paediatrics (and successor of Pirquet), long known for his Nazi sympathies. He climaxed his talk with the following pronouncement: “National socialism means a revolution in every sphere of our civilisation and culture. No phase of western culture is unaffected by it. Most noteworthy of all, and what must remain most noteworthy, is the revolution in the realm of medical science, in the field of public health.” The speaker went on to say that, despite the achievements of natural science within the past 150 years, medicine had been on the wrong track. “Medicine has now progressed beyond its old frontiers and has broken out of its shell, thanks to the philosophy and deeds of the fuhrer.” The healing art of yesterday has become the planned hygiene of today, the medical knowledge of mankind. Thus paediatrics becomes the medical study of children, gynaecology the medical study of women and so on. “With admiral clarity and logic the fuhrer points the way into these fields, “like a physician by the grace of God he shows us the path to health.” The rubbish of which physicians must free themselves is the dross of misapplied science, that pseudoscience in medicine which opposes itself to the clearly ascertainable facts of everyday experience. Hamburger then assailed “that freedom from preconception” which has been such a source of pride. “A real renascence of medical science, on Nazi foundations, must take place.” That which is taught by university professors must be completely founded on the tenents of the Nazi program of life and health. “This should be easier for him (the teacher) because national socialism rests on an absolutely sound biological basis.” The chief spokesmen of the various medical disciplines at the universities must be confirmed Nazis; this applies especially to clinicians. Hamburger went on to deprecate the “arrogance of physicians” and to put in a good word for “nature medicine,” which, he said, ought not to be too lightly esteemed. “National socialism, unlike any other political philosophy or party program, is in accord with the natural history and biology of man. And because national socialism considers all known physiologic data from nature and from human behaviour, it merely represents truths about man. It is accordingly well suited to the direction of the health of our people.” Hamburger then turned his fire in succession on Catholicism, liberalism and socialism. He next entered into a discussion of several general problems, in the course of which he said that only a wrongly educated, intellectually biased patient would wish to know the diagnosis-and more along the same line.
(JAMA 112 1939 page 1981)
Hans Asperger worked as the Director of the Department of Orthopaedagogy at the Children’s Clinic of the University of Vienna under president Franz Hamburger. His postdoctoral thesis entitled “Autistic Psychopathy” in Childhood, submitted to the medical faculty at the university was entered for publication in Archiv fur Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten on 8th October 1943.
Hans Asperger’s thesis is consistent with the eugenic approach as set out by Franz Hamburger. The lead term he uses at the start of his paper is “psychopath” as the description for the group of people he is studying. On page two of his paper he sets out the following “The attempt is made to characterise and categorise personalities, especially psychopathic personalities…. It is impossible here to enter into a discussion of the numerous existing character theories, never mind the typologies of psychopathic characters. Just as an example for them all, the most well known and for practicality’s sake, the most useful categorisation system… differentiates between the hyperthymic, depressive, insecure, fanatic, attention-seeking, temperamental, explosive, emotionally-cold, will-less, asthenic psychopaths”.
The method of study coincides with Hamburgers approach, which is “The rubbish of which physicians must free themselves is the dross of misapplied science, that pseudoscience in medicine which opposes itself to the clearly ascertainable facts of everyday experience.” Asperger provides the method of observation “as a typology,… which dispenses with a system built according to logical points of view because such a system does not for us appear to correspond to the reality of life.”
As Hamburger put it “national socialism rests on an absolutely sound biological basis.” It would appear some sixty years after the catastrophe that nazi eugenics created we are agreeing with him in taking up Asperger’s diagnosis.
Author “Autistic Shoes : Evolution of Behaviour”
In 1937 The Vienna Psychiatric and Neurologic Association appointed a committee to study the problem of revised insanity laws for Austria. Prominent in the legislative program sponsored by this group was the establishment of state detention institutions for psychopaths who, although not insane within the legal definition, were nevertheless a public menace. Professor Berze pointed out in a lecture to the association that among the psychopaths of the “borderline” type who, in the absence of any definitive mental disease, cannot be declared “insane” are recruited those mentally subnormal criminals who constitute a permanent social menace. If one of these persons is convicted of an offence he may perhaps receive a light punishment or be placed under observation in a psychiatric institution for a time, then soon released as “not insane” to prey upon society. And this occurs even if the person presents an obvious picture of moral insanity. Under the existing Austrian law it is impossible to keep a criminal of the “borderline” type in permanent detention as the hospitals for the insane were already filled to capacity with genuine mental cases. The Vienna psychiatrists recommended not only the detention of dangerous psychopaths but a continuous systematic supervision of all psychopathic persons. This would assure special legal protection of the non-criminal psychopaths. Any abnormal person who believes that some one has wronged or offended him who accordingly utters threats, can, under the proposed legislation, be rendered harmless before he has had the time to make good his threats. (JAMA 109, 1937 page 1465)
In August 1938 The Congress of the European Society of Mental Hygiene met at Munich under the auspices of the German Committee for Mental Hygiene, a branch of the Society of German Neurologists. The following is taken from the recording of that congress. Professor Rudin of Munich presided. The mental hygiene movement is recognised to have originated in America, to have slowly gained headway in other countries after 1905 and to have spread much more rapidly since the world war. The German Association for Mental Hygiene was founded in 1925; it was superseded in 1935 by the mentioned committee. In recent years the latter has stressed the problems of eugenics in conformity with the German national attitude. Even at this congress of the European organization the first theme of discussion was “The Eugenic Marriage” introduced by Morgenthaler of Berne and Chairman Rudin. Morgenthaler spoke on the selection of the marriage partner. In his opinion, every healthy person should marry. Conversely, he opposes the marriage of a person who may be classed as incurably a member of one of the following groups: the feeble minded, the insane, excessively egocentric psychopaths, degenerate hysterics, drug addicts, homosexuals and manifest schizoids. He also is against the marriage of persons unsuited for a tranquil married life because of abnormal aggressiveness, passivity or introversion. (JAMA 111, 1938 No 26)
In 1939 The Society of German Neurologists and Psychiatrists met in Wiesbaden. The president, Professor Rudin, pointed out that psychiatry in its efforts for improving racial hygiene performed a timely and progressive service. He accredited psychiatry with having been the first division of medicine to point out to the state and the national socialist party the dangers latent in psychopathic persons and to give impetus to the well-known legal measures taken. It was fallacious to assume, he said, that psychiatry would become increasingly superfluous, because psychopaths according to the laws governing racial hygiene would soon die out. This assumption involves the danger of deterioration for the psychiatric profession, whereas psychiatry requires the most competent physicians, because it deals with many dangerously ill with hereditary psychoses. He said, “The individual therapeutist may bungle and mar one or two human lives, but the poor psychiatrist, whole generations”. Rudin warned against undermining the reputation of psychiatrists. (JAMA 113 1939 page 1501)
Following Austria’s annexation to the Third Reich in 1938 JAMA’s correspondent to Berlin recorded in Asperger’s Vienna on 4th February 1939 as follows:
“The New Wiener Medizinische Gesellschaft”
“In the train of events under the new regime in Austria the famous Gesellschaft der Aerzte, like many other time-honoured organisations, has lately been dissolved. In 1937 the centenary of the society was celebrated in a manner befitting so illustrious a medical body. The greatest German names in the world of medicine enthusiastically participated in this celebration. The list of speakers and scientific lecturers was brilliant and in keeping with the accomplishments of the society and its reputation. But its continuance was not to be tolerated by the Nazi rulers of Vienna, and, like all the other medical societies, it was disestablished, in the 101st year of its existence. In its stead a new Wiener medizinsche Gesellschaft was created, designed to serve medical practitioners and scientific research. Naturally only Aryan doctors are admitted to membership and in addition foreigners who are unquestionably in sympathy with the regime. The plan of the new society includes sections for the various special disciplines to take the place of the former societies of specialists. There is also newly added a special section for military medicine. The president of the new society is no distinguished clinician; he is the Nazi district governor of Vienna, that is to say a politician who is also an official of the Nazi bureau of national health.
In his inaugural address, February 4, the new president himself stated that he was well aware that many representatives of science were not wholly in accord with the establishment of the new organisation under political rather than under scientific auspices. The president is Dr O. Planner-Plan. This political control has become necessary, he stated, because as district governor he is better informed about local public health affairs than anyone else. Since he has the representatives of science at his beck and call, it is possible for him to draw on consultant opinion in any problem which may arise. As he put it, “Prominent representatives of the various specialities may be commissioned to give an opinion with regard to any questions, and thus their abundant knowledge will be made to serve the nations health.” Dr. Planner-Plan’s address was embroidered with a wealth of detail, which may be briefly summarized: The present speedy tempo of the national work program in Germany not only should be maintained but should be surpassed. This means that a maximal expenditure of energy will be demanded of all German workers and soldiers. A further objective is conservation of the prolonged efficiency of the nations workers. In this connection the physicians have an important mission to fulfil. Specialising physicians, too, have their respective duties, which the president went on to enumerate. At each session of the new society a lecture and demonstrations will be given. It is further planned to correct certain bad features of medical practice; above all, an endeavour will be made to effect better collaboration between directors of clinics and specialists active as consultants.
THE NAZI CREED WITH REGARD TO MEDICINE
The principle address at the inaugural session was delivered by Prof. Franz Hamburger, ordinarius in paediatrics (and successor of Pirquet), long known for his Nazi sympathies. He climaxed his talk with the following pronouncement: “National socialism means a revolution in every sphere of our civilisation and culture. No phase of western culture is unaffected by it. Most noteworthy of all, and what must remain most noteworthy, is the revolution in the realm of medical science, in the field of public health.” The speaker went on to say that, despite the achievements of natural science within the past 150 years, medicine had been on the wrong track. “Medicine has now progressed beyond its old frontiers and has broken out of its shell, thanks to the philosophy and deeds of the fuhrer.” The healing art of yesterday has become the planned hygiene of today, the medical knowledge of mankind. Thus paediatrics becomes the medical study of children, gynaecology the medical study of women and so on. “With admiral clarity and logic the fuhrer points the way into these fields, “like a physician by the grace of God he shows us the path to health.” The rubbish of which physicians must free themselves is the dross of misapplied science, that pseudoscience in medicine which opposes itself to the clearly ascertainable facts of everyday experience. Hamburger then assailed “that freedom from preconception” which has been such a source of pride. “A real renascence of medical science, on Nazi foundations, must take place.” That which is taught by university professors must be completely founded on the tenents of the Nazi program of life and health. “This should be easier for him (the teacher) because national socialism rests on an absolutely sound biological basis.” The chief spokesmen of the various medical disciplines at the universities must be confirmed Nazis; this applies especially to clinicians. Hamburger went on to deprecate the “arrogance of physicians” and to put in a good word for “nature medicine,” which, he said, ought not to be too lightly esteemed. “National socialism, unlike any other political philosophy or party program, is in accord with the natural history and biology of man. And because national socialism considers all known physiologic data from nature and from human behaviour, it merely represents truths about man. It is accordingly well suited to the direction of the health of our people.” Hamburger then turned his fire in succession on Catholicism, liberalism and socialism. He next entered into a discussion of several general problems, in the course of which he said that only a wrongly educated, intellectually biased patient would wish to know the diagnosis-and more along the same line.
(JAMA 112 1939 page 1981)
Hans Asperger worked as the Director of the Department of Orthopaedagogy at the Children’s Clinic of the University of Vienna under president Franz Hamburger. His postdoctoral thesis entitled “Autistic Psychopathy” in Childhood, submitted to the medical faculty at the university was entered for publication in Archiv fur Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten on 8th October 1943.
Hans Asperger’s thesis is consistent with the eugenic approach as set out by Franz Hamburger. The lead term he uses at the start of his paper is “psychopath” as the description for the group of people he is studying. On page two of his paper he sets out the following “The attempt is made to characterise and categorise personalities, especially psychopathic personalities…. It is impossible here to enter into a discussion of the numerous existing character theories, never mind the typologies of psychopathic characters. Just as an example for them all, the most well known and for practicality’s sake, the most useful categorisation system… differentiates between the hyperthymic, depressive, insecure, fanatic, attention-seeking, temperamental, explosive, emotionally-cold, will-less, asthenic psychopaths”.
The method of study coincides with Hamburgers approach, which is “The rubbish of which physicians must free themselves is the dross of misapplied science, that pseudoscience in medicine which opposes itself to the clearly ascertainable facts of everyday experience.” Asperger provides the method of observation “as a typology,… which dispenses with a system built according to logical points of view because such a system does not for us appear to correspond to the reality of life.”
As Hamburger put it “national socialism rests on an absolutely sound biological basis.” It would appear some sixty years after the catastrophe that nazi eugenics created we are agreeing with him in taking up Asperger’s diagnosis.
Author “Autistic Shoes : Evolution of Behaviour”