A new genetic study would shed light on some hitherto controversial aspects of Adolf Hitler’s biography, from his state of health to his alleged Jewish origins. According to advance reports released by the British media, the documentary “Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator”, broadcast on Saturday on Channel 4, presents for the first time the sequencing of the Nazi dictator’s genome, based on the analysis of a fragment of blood-stained cloth taken from the sofa on which Hitler took his life in the Berlin bunker on 30 April 1945.
Leading the research was geneticist Turi King, from the University of Bath, already known for having identified the remains of King Richard III of England. The study, defined by the authors as “unprecedented”, made it possible to verify a series of theories spread over the decades.
The hypothesis that Hitler had Jewish ancestry disproved
One of the most striking results concerns the denial of the rumor according to which Hitler had a grandfather of Jewish origins, a hypothesis that has been circulating since the times of the Third Reich and fueled by biographers and historians in the post-war period.
The genetic analysis, the researchers explain, shows a clear correspondence between the dictator’s DNA and the male line of the Hitler family, thus excluding the possibility of a different lineage. “If that rumor had been true – Professor King told AFP – we would not have found any genetic correspondence, and instead there is a correspondence. This puts an end to a legend that has lasted almost a century”.
The genetic syndrome from which the dictator suffered and the (possible) consequences
The sequencing also revealed that Hitler suffered from Kallmann syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that can inhibit the development of sexual organs during puberty and can result in reduced testosterone production, affecting the development of sexual organs. It should be specified that, in any case, this is a possibility, but not an absolute certainty.
This discovery appears to confirm historical accounts and medical documents that Hitler suffered from cryptorchidism (undescended testicle) and possible hypogenitality. During the Second World War, even some satirical songs by Allied soldiers joked about the Führer’s alleged anatomical anomaly.
The predisposition to some (serious) mental pathologies has been identified in the genome
In addition to the physical aspects, the genetic analysis also revealed “very high” scores for predisposition to some mental pathologies, including autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
However, the researchers clarified that such predispositions cannot in any way explain or justify the actions and ideologies of Hitler, who was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people and the genocide of six million Jews.
Because it is an unprecedented document (and why there are those who express doubts)
The Channel 4 documentary, produced as a world exclusive, represents the first occasion in which Hitler’s genome has been analyzed using modern genetic techniques.
The blood sample used for the study was apparently kept by a colonel of the US army, who in 1945 cut a piece of the Führerbunker sofa, realizing its possible historical value.
According to Professor King, the aim of the research is not to fuel morbid curiosity around the figure of Hitler, but “to scientifically understand a man who had a devastating impact on the history of the twentieth century, distinguishing biology from myths and ideological manipulations”.
However, there is no shortage of doubts about the entire research, starting from the very nature of the sample analyzed: the fragment of cloth with traces of blood attributed to Hitler, underlines the Guardianwould be found decades later in a museum in the United States. Consequently, the match with the dictator’s DNA could not be independently verified. Furthermore, the researchers were unable to obtain fresh samples from the family’s living descendants, all of whom were understandably reluctant to undergo genetic testing or media exposure.