Eight decades after Adolf Hitler‘s death, a new scientific investigation is attempting to decode the dictator’s biology. What made that possible? A blood-stained swatch of fabric, which carries traces of blood from the day Hitler died.
Professor Turi King, the lead geneticist on the research, is also known for identifying the remains of King Richard III. She revealed that she was initially “agonized over it.” But she later took the research to make sure “it’s done in an extremely measured and rigorous fashion.” King also bluntly reflected on the paradox of Hitler’s genetic profile:
“If he [had looked] at his own genetic results, he would almost certainly have sent himself to the gas chambers.” (via Independent)
Why? The results are striking, to say the least. Hitler’s DNA shows “very high” polygenic scores, within the top one percent, for predispositions to autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. The sequencing also confirmed that Hitler did not have Jewish ancestry, dispelling a rumor that has circulated since the 1920s.
What does the DNA research say about Hitler?
The study also discovered that it was likely that Hitler had Kallmann syndrome. It is a genetic condition that can affect puberty, hormone regulation, and the development of sexual organs. The syndrome carries about a one-in-ten chance of microgenitalia and a higher likelihood of undescended testes.
The finding confirms the 1923 medical report, unearthed in 2015, which already documented that Hitler had an undescended testicle. But the researchers emphasize that these discoveries must not be weaponized or used to stigmatize people living with similar medical conditions today. Psychologist Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, featured in the documentary, cautions:
“Behavior is never 100 per cent genetic. Associating Hitler’s extreme cruelty with people with these diagnoses risks stigmatizing them, especially when the vast majority of people with these diagnoses are neither violent nor cruel, and many are the opposite.”
The research is not a diagnosis
The team also pressed that predisposition does not equal diagnosis and does not determine behavior. Professor King echoes this warning, noting that DNA cannot explain the making of a mass murderer like Hitler:
“People see DNA as the silver bullet that will answer everything. People often view DNA as deterministic, which it is not. DNA is always just a part of the puzzle about who somebody is… You cannot see evil in a genome.”
The documentary instead frames the research as a limited but illuminating lens into the tyrant’s private world. His likely hormonal issues, possible infertility, and longstanding rumors about sexual dysfunction shed light on the probable reasons behind his absent private life.
The findings have added texture to historians’ understanding of the life of one of the world’s most vile leaders. But they cannot, and should not, be interpreted as explanations for the atrocities he orchestrated. Full findings of the DNA research will be revealed in the forthcoming Channel 4 documentary, titled Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator.
