Julius Hallervorden's wartime activities: implications for science under dictatorship.
The eponym Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome recalls Julius Hallervorden's and Hugo Spatz's original description of this pediatric neurodegenerative disorder. Julius Hallervorden's important contribution to the practice of neuropathology over a long career cannot be underestimated. However, his work as a pathologist during the Third Reich put him in close proximity with the implementation of biologic solutions (i.e., euthanasia) targeting those individuals with significant intellectual or physical disabilities in chronic-care facilities. The Nazi program of active euthanasia provided a scientific opportunity to gain quick access to pathologic materials. This opportunity was recognized and used by Hallervorden to achieve personal scientific objectives and research efforts. These efforts resulted in a number of postwar scientific publications using materials obtained through the euthanasia program. The participation of distinguished academic physicians in such a program provides a cautionary tale of the potential results of ethical compromise and the effects of the abrogation of personal autonomy in the setting of a totalitarian dictatorship.
Shevell
M I
MI
Department of Neurology/Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Peiffer
J
J
D001344:Autopsy; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005065:Euthanasia; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D009462:Neurology; D006211:Pantothenate Kinase-Associated Neurodegeneration; D010336:Pathology; D011056:Political Systems; D014857:Warfare