Adolf Hitler unleashed a nightmare of terror in Europe that changed the course of history and forever altered our conception of human nature. But how is it possible to understand Hitler? Hitler: Diagnosis of Destruction begins to answer that question by providing the first analysis of Hitler's life by a trained MD and practicing psychiatrist. Fritz Redlich, MD, provides a full-length biography of Hitler, focusing especially on his medical and mental history and showing us precisely how Hitler's physical and mental health influenced his beliefs and behavior. Redlich engages a host of fascinating questions. Was there a history of mental illness in Hitler's family? Did he suffer from congenital abnormalities? Did he contract syphilis as a young man? What bizarre role did that disease play in his anti-Semitism? What is the history of Hitler's amphetamine abuse? Did he suffer from Parkinson's disease? Drawing upon medical records of Hitler's World War I injuries andsubsequent illnesses, combined with a penetrating exploration of Hitler's writings, Redlich offers new insight into Hitler's vision of himself as a prophetic leader. The final chapter offers a psychiatric portrait of Hitler, and it is here that Redlich's analysis reveals the highly combustible mixture of denial, projection, sexual repression, paranoid delusion, and narcissistic rage that transformed Hitler from an aimless, friendless, and vaguely resentful youth into the most destructive force of the twentieth century. Complete with illustrations, critical medical reports by Hitler's personal physicians, and a medical glossary, this book brings to light the darkest recesses of one of the world's most impenetrable minds.
