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Summary: more than you wanted to know
Review: An excellent analysis of what can be known about Hitler's mental and physical health. Along with books by Rosenbaum and Kershaw it provides probably all that we will ever know. The really difficult question is not why Hitler had such peculiar views and the will to put them into effect, the real question is why the most developed country in Europe, perhaps in the world, allowed this pathetic excuse for a human being to gain total control by more or less democratic means. Ian Kershaw so far provides the best insight into what was wrong with the Germans and what in Hitler appealed to them. It turns out that the Germans were to be sure odd -- they were "German" -- but not much odder than other peoples. One can say one doesn't think one's own people could support a Hitler but one cannot be sure. The attraction of evil remains the supreme puzzle.
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Summary: Hitler at the doctor's surgery.
Review: An exhaustive, even exhausting, investigation into the Fuhrer's medical and psychological state and its historical impact. Where the evidence is lacking, for example on Hitler's childhood medical treatment, the author says so plainly. The most interesting aspects of the book are whether Hitler's illnesses and mental obessions caused him to lose the war. Probably not is the general conclusion, although the debate will go on. Some silly opinions, that Dr Morell tried to poison his Fuhrer or that Hitler eventually went mad, are carefully dismissed in this detailed account. Hitler's sexuality, by the way, remains something of a mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Hitler at the doctor's surgery.
Review: An exhaustive, even exhausting, investigation into the Fuhrer's medical and psychological state and its historical impact. Where the evidence is lacking, for example on Hitler's childhood medical treatment, the author says so plainly. The most interesting aspects of the book are whether Hitler's illnesses and mental obessions caused him to lose the war. Probably not is the general conclusion, although the debate will go on. Some silly opinions, that Dr Morell tried to poison his Fuhrer or that Hitler eventually went mad, are carefully dismissed in this detailed account. Hitler's sexuality, by the way, remains something of a mystery.
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Summary: Psychobiographies: examining the trees before the forest
Review: As far as psychobiographies go, I rate this work: 5 stars. Typically, I am not fond of psychohistorical works.The author, Redlich, is a retired psychiatrist and former dean of the Yale University Medical School. Self-confessed, he is not a professional historian. But better an academic psychiatrist examining a historical figure than historians playing psychologist. The latter group, in my opinion, has a strong tendency to lapse into cliched pop-Freudianism: the subject loved his mother, hated his father, therefore has a latent homosexual, etc. None of this in Redlich's book. This work is primarily a medical, pharmacological examination of Hitler, rather than the nonmedical viewpoint of psychology or psychoanalysis. For this reason, I find Redlich's work far more convincing than, say, Waite's HITLER THE PSYCHOPATHIC GOD. Redlich's diagnosis is based more upon physical/psychological cause and effects of drugs rather than the psychobabble of the alleged un- or subconscious motives. My problem with this work, as with all psychobiographies, is: (1) that the patient is dead. This makes an accurate diagnosis impossible. Redlich's concluding chapter, in my estimation, is lacking in a concrete diagnosis. (2) by focusing on an individual's mind alone, it isolates all other external factors, such as, economic, political and military considerations. But then, one cannot ignore the ramifications of the historical figure's/patient's mind. Overall, I enjoyed this book, regardless of whatever qualms I may have. Its a work to be read in conjunction with standard biographies of Hitler.
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Summary: Sincere and sober assessment, but where does it take us?
Review: Dr. Redlich is to be praised for his thorough analysis of the known facts about Hitler's life (frankly, precious little, particuarly about his childhood) and his medical conditions (probably more than most readers will want to know). Dr. Redlich has produced a well-balanced clinical portrayal of Hitler, based on what is known. He is scrupulous in the use of his sources, and always notes when evidence does not support his or others' theories. All of this commendable, and I salute Dr. Redlich for writing what should be the final word on Hitler's medical problems. The problem I have with the book is that it is not very good history. Of course, Dr. Redlich admits that he is not a historian and is writing a pathography, not a history. However, if that is the case, he should probably dispose of most of the first section of his two section book. In his first section, he compresses events, makes general statements, and provides what can only be called a very superficial portrayal of Hitler's life. One example would be his comments on creation of the Fuhrer myth, which do a disservice to our understanding by oversimplifying how the myth was developed. Another would be his comments on Hitler's activities in Vienna and Munich. I also found it a little irritating that he referred to the ridiculous Gustrow goat story, which he mentions at least a half dozen times, although casting doubts about it authenticity (and not even including the punchline of the story). The same applies to what Bullock describes as the one-ball business which is probably more Soviet fiction than fact. It seems clear to me that Dr. Redlich has tried his best to be fair in evaluating evidence, but it also seems that some stories are just too good to pass up. Dr. Redlich's conclusions about Hitler motivations and his psychological state, as detailed in his pathography, are probably as objective as we will get for quite some time. This is a good book, and it deserves praise for its groundbreaking work in the area of Hitler's various maladies and their possible impact on his actions. However, for an understanding of Hitler and his impact on the 20th century, Ian Kershaw and Alan Bullock remain the primary places to begin.
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Summary: the most informative book on hitler so far
Review: i think that this book has a great overview of hitlers life, medical history and pathology. Anyone looking for a very informative and analytic book should read this.
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Summary: Not significant but has moments of interest
Review: In Hitler: Diagnosis of a Destructive Prophet, psychiatrist Fritz Redlich, a Jewish contemporary, attempts to determine how physical ailments and mental disorders may have affected and influenced the Nazi leader.
This type of work, known as a "pathography," has no set or determined structure. In the first part, Dr. Redlich describes "Hitler's Life from Birth to Death," including such topics as "Entry into Politics," "Ascent to Power," and "Warlord." The second part, "Review, Comments, and Interpretations," delves into more detail about the medical and psychological issues brought up in the first section.
This first part is the more problematic one. Dr. Redlich is not a historian and is not equipped to present or interpret history, especially history as fraught with the unknowns, distortions, and lies that surround Hitler. For example, he refers to the "billy goat story" several times. He notes that Hitler was not known to be cruel to animals as a child, except for the "dubious" billy goat story-a highly unlikely story of questionable origin that no historian would cite as an exception, even with the "dubious" qualifier.
He also discusses Geri Raubal's death but provides no insight into what actually happened or how Hitler reacted to it. He briefly discusses a few innuendoes that Raubal was murdered, but there is nothing here-about a critical moment in Hitler's psychological life-that is not covered more thoroughly and carefully in other books (Ron Rosenbaum's Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil, for example). On the other hand, there is sometimes too much detail about Himmler, Goebbels, et. al, which does not particularly relate to Hitler, his health, his psychology, or his actions. Indeed, much of the first section could have been eliminated as it often provides irrelevant information or biographical detail that is explored better in Hitler biographies and Nazi and WWII histories.
In the second part, Dr. Redlich attempts to diagnose Hitler, based on the scant and unreliable information available. He dismisses diagnoses when there is too little evidence or the known symptoms are inconclusive, although given that there is so little information and that neither Hitler nor anyone surrounding him is a reliable source, it is still primarily speculation. Dr. Redlich does conclude that Hitler had Parkinson's syndrome, of unknown etiology, although at one point he mistakenly refers to it as Parkinson's disease. He also provides a plausible explanation for Hitler's headaches.
In his discussion of Hitler's psychology, Dr. Redlich covers anxiety, depression, sexuality, and other obvious topics (often inconclusively) as well as such things as his lies and ambivalence. Again, there is nothing conclusive to say; many of these questions are still hotly debated by Hitler scholars (for example, whether he believed or came to believe his own fabrications).
The question of cruelty is an interesting one. It's easy to say that Hitler was cruel, given the death, destruction, persecution, and torture he wrought against dissenting Nazi Party members, Gypsies, Jews, and others. This gets short shrift in Dr. Redlich's analysis, because it's not clear that Hitler was cruel in the conventional way many of us might think. Someone who gains pleasure from kicking a dog or witnessing the kicking of a dog is clearly cruel-but generally Hitler did not directly participate in or even witness what was happening in the concentration camps. He kept his distance from it. More discussion of such detached cruelty and distancing, with real-life examples, might be useful.
The reader does learn a great deal about the mundane details of Hitler's health (including his ongoing problems with flatulence, which Dr. Redlich does not quite connect to his vegetarian diet), about the doctors who treated him, and about some of the medical practices still used in the 1940s (including leeches).
Dr. Redlich's ultimate diagnosis of Hitler is one that few lay persons would recognize; it is part of the title. Hitler saw morality simplistically in black-and-white terms, he believed he'd been chosen by a higher power to do what he did (and was afraid he would not live long enough to accomplish it), and found a convenient scapegoat (the Jews) around whom to rally his followers. This is a cautionary tale that is especially relevant in today's international political arena.
It's important to note that Dr. Redlich's effort could have been more condensed and focused. In addition, he is not a writer and fails to make what are necessary paragraph breaks to large chunks of text with multiple subjects (as does his editor).
Given how little is known of Hitler and how much of his own history he falsified, it would have been difficult to have produced a definitive work. Dr. Redlich honestly describes his personal reasons for writing Hitler: Diagnosis of a Destructive Prophet, which ultimately is not a particularly significant contribution to the Hitler literature. Those who wish to try to understand every aspect of Hitler's life (including his flatulence and bad teeth) or who wish to recognize political paranoia wherever it rages may find this a must-read.
Diane L. Schirf, 7 November 2004.
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Summary: Gripping account of the world's most notorious patient!
Review: Intense, highly engrossing psychological study of Adoplh Hitler. Incredibly detailed and thorough, yet always immensely readable. The author has written with such objectivity so as not to leave any doubt of the twisted reasoning that drove the "destructive prophet." A must-read for 20th Century studies. A real eye opener.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping account of the world's most notorious patient!
Review: Intense, highly engrossing psychological study of Adoplh Hitler. Incredibly detailed and thorough, yet always immensely readable. The author has written with such objectivity so as not to leave any doubt of the twisted reasoning that drove the "destructive prophet." A must-read for 20th Century studies. A real eye opener.
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Summary: Fritz Redlich: Diagnostician of Tyranny
Review: The first study of Hitler to be undertaken by a trained psychiatrist and medical expert, Redlich's book amasses a huge fund of data in an attempt to see how far Hitler's medical history, his illnesses, influenced his behaviour and personality. The first part is a thorough account of the events, personal and political, that shaped Hitler's life, from his childhood, his poverty in Vienna, his miltary service, his political activity up to the seizure of power, up to and including the Second World War. The second part attempts to apply psychiatric and psychoanalytic methods to the same events, by examining them in the light of Hitler's various illnesses and traumas. Redlich discusses Hitler's vegetarianism, his rage attacks, his abstinence from alcohol and nicotine, his alleged genital abnormality, his sex life, Parkinson's disease, psychotic and retarded members of his family tree and -- most controversially -- his supposed addiction to amphetamines and how this affected s!ome of his tactical and strategic mistakes towards the end of the war, e.g. the invasion of Russia and the declaration of war against the United States. Aware of the difficulties that confront anyone who undertakes such an ambitious project as a "pathography" of someone who has been dead for over half a century, Redlich avoids easy conclusions. He admits the limitations of the psychoanalytic method (i.e. evaluation, with the object of unlocking the analysand's personality, of parapraxias, [slips of the tongue], impulsive actions, the imagery in his speeches, etc.) His also stresses the limitations imposed on the research by the psychiatric method and empasises, above all, that no such analysis can be impartial, as the data presented by the researcher would inevitably be selective. Redlich nevertheless succeeds in shattering some myths that have surrounded the personality of Hitler. He does not shrink from passing judgement on his subject, describing him as a paranoid, dangerou!s, insecure and ambivalent prophet, the most destructive individual in the history of mankind.
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