Theodor Morell
Theodor Morell | |
---|---|
Born | Theodor Gilbert Morell 22 July 1886 |
Died | 26 May 1948 | (aged 61)
Occupation | Physician |
Employer | Adolf Hitler |
Known for | Service as Adolf Hitler's personal physician |
Spouse |
Hannelore Morell
(m. 1920–1948) |
Theodor Gilbert Morell (22 July 1886 – 26 May 1948) was a German medical doctor known for acting as Adolf Hitler's personal physician. Morell was well known in Germany for his unconventional treatments. He assisted Hitler daily in virtually everything he did for several years and was beside Hitler until the last stages of the Battle of Berlin. Morell was granted high awards by Hitler, and became a multi-millionaire by way of business deals with the Nazi government, this being made possible by way of his status.
Early years
Morell was the second son of a primary school teacher, born and raised in the small village of Trais-
Career
Hitler's physician
Morell joined the
Some historians have attempted to explain this by citing the reputation he had gained in Germany for success in treating syphilis, along with Hitler's own (speculated) fears of the disease, which he associated closely with Jews.[citation needed] Others have commented on the possibility that Hitler had visible symptoms of Parkinson's disease, especially towards the end of the war.[9]
Hitler recommended Morell to others of the Nazi leadership, but most of them, including Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, dismissed Morell as a quack. As Albert Speer related in his autobiography:[10]
In 1936, when my circulation and stomach rebelled...I called at Morell's private office. After a superficial examination, Morell prescribed for me his intestinal bacteria, dextrose, vitamins and hormone tablets. For safety's sake I afterward had a thorough examination by Professor von Bergmann, the specialist in internal medicine at Berlin University. I was not suffering from any organic trouble, he concluded, but only from nervous symptoms caused by overwork. I slowed down my pace as best I could and the symptoms abated. To avoid offending Hitler I pretended that I was carefully following Morell's instructions, and since my health improved, I became for a time Morell's showpiece. – Albert Speer, Inside the Third Reich (1969)
When Hitler was troubled with grogginess in the morning, Morell would inject him with a solution of water mixed with a substance from several small, gold-foiled packets, which he called "Vitamultin". Hitler would arise, refreshed and invigorated. Hitler gave a packet to Himmler, who immediately became suspicious and instead secretly ordered one of his
Speer characterised Morell as an opportunist, who once he achieved status as Hitler's physician, became extremely careless and lazy in his work. By 1944, Morell developed a hostile rivalry with Dr.
Morell was not popular with Hitler's entourage, who complained about the doctor's crude table manners, poor hygiene and body odor. Hitler is said to have responded "I do not employ him for his fragrance, but to look after my health."[12] Hermann Göring called Morell Der Reichsspritzenmeister, ("Reich Master of Injections"), and variations on that theme,[13][14] implying that Morell resorted to using drug injections when faced with medical problems, and overused them.
Substances administered to Hitler
Morell kept a medical diary of the drugs, tonics, vitamins and other substances he administered to Hitler, usually by injection (up to 20 times per day) or in pill form. Most were commercial preparations, some were Morell's own mixes. Since some of these compounds are considered toxic, historians have speculated that Morell inadvertently contributed to Hitler's deteriorating health. The fragmentary list (below) of some 74 substances (in 28 different mixtures)[15] administered to Hitler include psychoactive drugs such as heroin as well as commercial poisons. Among the compounds, in alphabetical order, were:[8]
- Brom-Nervacit: Pyramidon, since August 1941 a spoonful of this tranquilizer almost every night, to counteract stimulation from methamphetamine and to allow sleep.[8]
- Cardiazol and Coramine: since 1941 for leg oedema.
- Chineurin: Quinine-containing preparation for common colds and flu.
- adrenaline (via eye drops).[16]
- Coramine: Nikethamide injected when unduly sedated with barbiturates. In addition, Morell would use Coramine as part of an all-purpose "tonic".
- Cortiron: Desoxycorticosterone acetate IM injections for muscle weaknesses, influencing carbon hydrate metabolism.
- Enbasin: Sulfonamide, intragluteal 5 cc, for diverse infections.
- Euflat: Bile extract, Radix Angelica, Aloes, papaverine, caffeine, pancreatine, Fel tauri – pills, for meteorism, and treatment of digestion disorders.
- Eukodal: heavy doses oxycodone, for intestinal spasms, painkiller.[20]
- Eupaverin: Moxaverine, an isoquinoline derivative for intestinal spasms and colics.
- Glucose: 1938 until 1940 every third day Glucose injections 5 and 10%, for potentiation of the Strophanthus effect.
- Glyconorm: Metformin,[8] metabolism enzymes (cozymase I and II), amino acids, vitamins – injectable solution as a strengthener tonic.
- Homatropin: Homatropine HBr 0.1 g, NaCl 0.08 g; Distilled water added 10 mL. Eye drops for right eye problems.
- Intelan: Twice a day Vitamins A, D3 and B12 – tablets as a strengthener, tonic.
- Camomilla Officinale: Chamomile – intestinal enemata, on the patient's personal request.
- Luitzym: After each meal, enzymes with cellulase, hemicellulases, amylase, and proteases, for intestinal problems, meteorism.
- Mutaflor: Emulsion of Escherichia coli-strains – enteric coated tablets for improvement of intestinal flora. They were prescribed to Hitler for flatulence in 1936, the first unorthodox drug treatment from Morell; bacteria cultured from human feces, see: "E. coli".[21]
- Omnadin: Mixture of lipidsand animal fat, taken at the onset of infections (together with Vitamultin).
- Optalidon: Caffeine, propyphenazone – tablets at the beginning of infections (together with Vitamultin).
- Orchikrin: An extract of bovine testosterone, pituitary gland, and glycerophosphate, as a tonic, strengthener. Marketed also as an aphrodisiac.[19]
- Penicilline-Hamma: Penicillin – powder topical antibiotic. After the attempted assassination of July 20, 1944 to treat his right arm.
- Pervitin: methamphetamine injections for mental depression and fatigue.[8][19]
- Progynon B-Oleosum: Estradiol valerate, benzoic ester of follicle hormone, for improvement of the circulation in the gastric mucosa.
- Prostacrinum: Two ampoules every second day for a short period in '43, extract of seminal vesicles and prostate – injected IM for mental depression.[19]
- Prostophanta: Strophantine 0.3 mg, glucose, vitamin B, nicotinic acid – IM heart glycoside, strengthener.
- Septoid: intravenous injections of 10 cc of 3% iodine (in potassium iodide form) with 10 cc of 20% glucose, two or three times a day, to improve heart's condition and the altered Second Sound.[1]
- Strophantin: 1941–44 – cycle of 2 weeks of homeopathic Strophanthus gratus glycoside 0.2 mg per day for coronary sclerosis.
- Sympatol: oxedrine tartrate since 1942, 10 drops daily for increasing the cardiac minute volume.
- Testoviron: Testosterone propionate as a tonic, strengthener.
- Tonophosphan: 1942–1944, phosphoric preparation – SC tonic, strengthener.
- Ultraseptyl: Sulfonamide for respiratory infections.
- Veritol: since March 1944 hydroxyphenyl-2-methylamino-propane – eyedrops for left eye treatment.
- Vitamultin-Calcium: Caffeine, vitamins.
An almost complete listing of the drugs used by Morell, wrote historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, was compiled after the war from his own meticulous daily records and unlikely to have been exaggerated.[15] Interestingly, Morrell was trained as a general practitioner. However, his specialty was training neither in dermatology nor in venereology, but in obstetrics and gynaecology. Despite his lack of training, Morrell did treat Hitler (who had an obsessive fear of
World War II
In 1939, Morell inadvertently became involved with the invasion of
When Reinhard Heydrich, who was serving as Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia – the rump left of Czechoslovakia after Hitler's annexation of the Sudetenland – was the victim of an assassination attempt in May 1942, Morell was one of the doctors brought in by Heinrich Himmler to treat the badly-wounded SS man. His recommendation to use antibiotics was ignored by Heinrich Himmler's chief doctor, Karl Gebhardt,[citation needed] gangrene set in, and Heydrich died a week later.[23]
After the 20 July 1944 assassination attempt against Hitler, Morell treated him with topical penicillin, which had only recently been introduced into testing by the U.S. Army. Where he acquired it is unknown, and Morell claimed complete ignorance of penicillin when he was interrogated by American intelligence officers after the war. When members of Hitler's inner circle were interviewed for the book The Bunker, some claimed Morell owned a significant share in a company fraudulently marketing a product as penicillin.[14]
When Hitler developed
By April 1945, Hitler was taking many pills a day, along with numerous injections. The personal notes of Morell describe how he treated Hitler over the years, including notations such as, "injection as always", and, "Eukodal", an early German trade name for the opioid oxycodone.[20]
Morell was one of the occupants of the
On 20 April 1945, Morell, Albert Bormann, Admiral Karl-Jesko von Puttkamer, Dr. Hugo Blaschke, secretaries Johanna Wolf, Christa Schroeder, and several others were ordered by Hitler to leave the bunker and Berlin by aircraft for the Obersalzberg.[30] Hitler told Morell he did not need any more medical help, although he continued to take many of the medications Morell had prescribed for him;[31] during the last week of Hitler's life, it was administered by Dr. Werner Haase and by Heinz Linge, Hitler's valet.[32] The group flew out of Berlin on different flights by aircraft of the Fliegerstaffel des Führers over the following three days. Morell was on the flight which left Berlin on 23 April.[30]
Personal awards and wealth
Hitler awarded Morell the title of
Final years and death
Morell was captured by American forces and interrogated on 18 May 1945.
See also
- Adolf Hitler's health
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Joachimsthaler 1999, p. 291.
- ISBN 978-1-328-66379-5
- ^ Fest 1973, p. 672.
- ISBN 978-0025582507.
- ^ a b c Snyder 1994, p. 232.
- PMID 22179217.
- ^ Snyder 1994, pp. 232, 233.
- ^ YouTubedirected and produced by Chris Durlacher. A Waddell Media Production for Channel 4 in association with National Geographic Channels, MMXIV. Executive Producer Jon-Barrie Waddell.
- ^ O'Donnell 2001, pp. 37, 125.
- ISBN 978-1842127353.
- ^ O'Donnell 2001, pp. 37, 150, 317.
- ^ Bathroom Readers' Institute "The Story of Hitler's Illness" Uncle John's Endlessly Engrossing Bathroom Reader
- ISBN 0297847201
- ^ a b O'Donnell 2001, p. 316.
- ^ a b Trevor-Roper 2012, pp. 79–82.
- ^ Irving 1991, p. 697.
- ^ Bullock 1992, p. 803.
- ^ Trevor-Roper 2012, p. 82.
- ^ a b c d Doyle 2005, p. 8/8 in PDF.
- ^ a b Breitenbach, Dagmar (9 September 2015). "A fresh light on the Nazis' wartime drug addiction". Author Interview: Norman Ohler. DW.
Book Der totale Rausch by Ohler is a result of research at the German federal archives and US national archives in Washington, D.C., and Maryland among others.
- ^ Irving 1991, p. 173.
- ^ Hitler's Health
- ^ Sereny 1995, p. 326.
- ^ Kershaw 2000, p. 727.
- ^ Bullock 1962, p. 718.
- ^ Schramm 1978, p. 123.
- ^ Fest 1973, p. 728.
- ^ Bullock 1962, p. 766.
- ^ Reuth 1993, p. 362.
- ^ a b Joachimsthaler 1999, p. 98.
- ^ Fest 1973, p. 739.
- ^ O'Donnell 2001, pp. 37, 125, 317.
- ^ a b c PROZESSE / HITLERS LEIBARZT: Auf Rotglut – DER SPIEGEL 18/1969
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-06-131123-5.
- ISBN 0-394-58601-8.
- Doyle, D. (2005). "Adolf Hitler's Medical Care". Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. 35 (1): 75–82. PMID 15825245.
- ISBN 0-394-72023-7.
- ISBN 1872197108– via Google Books.
- ISBN 978-1-86019-902-8.
- ISBN 0-393-04994-9.
- ISBN 978-0-306-80958-3.
- ISBN 0-15-136076-6.
- ISBN 0-89874-962-X.; originally published as the introduction to Picker, Henry (1963) Hitlers Tischgespräche im Führerhauptquarter ("Hitler's Table Talk")
- ISBN 0-394-52915-4.
- ISBN 978-1-56924-917-8.
- ISBN 978-0330470278– via Google Books.
External links
- Quotations related to Theodor Morell at Wikiquote