Hitler likely had genetic condition limiting sexual development

LONDON,

Adolf Hitler most likely suffered from the genetic condition Kallmann Syndrome, which can result in undescended testicles and a micropenis, according to researchers and documentary makers on Thursday, following DNA testing of the Nazi dictator’s blood.

The new research also dispels claims that Hitler had Jewish ancestry. Popular World War II songs often mocked Hitler’s anatomy, but lacked any scientific basis.

An international team of scientists and historians now appear to have confirmed longstanding suspicions about his sexual development.

“No one has ever really been able to explain why Hitler was so uncomfortable around women throughout his life, or why he probably never entered into intimate relations with women,” said Alex Kay of the University of Potsdam. “But now we know that he had Kallmann Syndrome; this could be the answer we’ve been looking for,” he added.

The findings are featured in the new documentary Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator, scheduled to be broadcast on Saturday.

The DNA testing indicated a “high likelihood” that Hitler had Kallmann Syndrome and “very high” scores-in the top one percent-for predisposition to autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, programme makers Blink Films said.

The research team emphasised that such conditions do not explain or excuse Hitler’s warmongering or racist policies, which led to the deaths of an estimated 50 million people in World War II, including six million Jews who were systematically murdered.

The testing was made possible after researchers obtained a sample of Hitler’s blood from a piece of material taken from the sofa on which he reportedly shot himself. Kallmann Syndrome often results in low testosterone levels, undescended testicles, and in some cases a micropenis, Blink Films said.

The DNA results also rule out the possibility of Jewish ancestry via Hitler’s grandmother, who was rumoured to have become pregnant by her employer. “Analysis of the DNA debunks this myth by showing that the Y chromosome data matches the DNA of Hitler’s male-line relative. If he had Jewish ancestry through an outside relationship, that match wouldn’t be present,” the production company explained.

Geneticist Turi King, renowned for identifying the remains of King Richard III and a contributor to the project, noted that Hitler’s genes placed him in a category of people often targeted by the Nazis themselves. “Hitler’s policies were entirely centred on eugenics,” she said. “If he had been able to look at his own DNA, he almost certainly would have sent himself to the gas chambers.”

The two-part documentary will begin airing on the UK’s Channel 4 this Saturday.