E34: Hans Asperger

Corrupt Podcast

Hans Asperger was made famous for the discovery and research on Asperger's Syndrome, which was later included in the autism spectrum. He specialized in the study of children during the 1940s and would participate in the atrocities of the Nazi regime. Including sending dozens of children to their death at Am Spiegelgrund children’s clinic in Vienna, Austria.

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Sources for this episode:

• “A Concise History of Asperger Syndrome: The Short Reign of a Troublesome Diagnosis - PMC.” PMC Home, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4725185/. Accessed 24 June 2025.
• Amaral, Marina. “Before Auschwitz: Nazi Germany’s Silent Extermination of People with Disabilities.” The Colour of Time with Marina Amaral | Substack, The Colour of Time with Marina Amaral, 12 Oct. 2023, https://marinaamaral.substack.com/p/before-auschwitz-nazi-germanys-silent.
• Gillette, Hope. “‘Asperger’s Syndrome’: Why We No Longer Use That Term.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 4 Dec. 2023, https://www.healthline.com/health/autism/why-is-the-term-aspergers-no-longer-used#autism-as-a-spectrum.
• Gregg. “Symptoms of Asperger’s Syndrome - Lighthouse Autism Center.” Lighthouse Autism Center, 7 Mar. 2024, https://lighthouseautismcenter.com/blog/characteristics-of-aspergers-syndrome/#:~:text=As%20a%20result%2C%20the%20term%20%E2%80%9CAsperger’s%20syndrome%E2%80%9D,more%20about%20common%20signs%20and%20symptoms%20below.
• “Hans Asperger (1906-1980) | Embryo Project Encyclopedia.” Home | Embryo Project Encyclopedia, https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/hans-asperger-1906-1980. Accessed 24 June 2025.
• “Hans Asperger, 1906-1980 – The Autism History Project.” University of Oregon WordPress Hosting – Educational Blogs from Our Community, https://blogs.uoregon.edu/autismhistoryproject/people/hans-asperger/#:~:text=Asperger%20did%20not%20belong%20to%20the%20Nazi,as%20part%20of%20the%20regime’s%20euthanasia%20program.&text=Zak%20was%20killed%20and%20the%20clinic%20destroyed,the%20clinic%20building%20was%20bombed%20in%201944. Accessed 24 June 2025.
• “Hans Asperger, National Socialism, and ‘Race Hygiene’ in Nazi-Era Vienna | Molecular Autism | Full Text.” BioMed Central, https://molecularautism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13229-018-0208-6. Accessed 24 June 2025.
• Kezwer, Gil. “World‚s ”last Trial” Involving Nazi Doctor Ends in Austria after Suspect Declared Demented.” CMAJ, Canadian Medical Association Journal, 30 May 2000, https://www.cmaj.ca/content/162/11/1599.1.
• “Kinderfachabteilung ‘Am Spiegelgrund’ (Wien).” For People and Planet | The University of Vermont, https://www.uvm.edu/~lkaelber/children/amspiegelgrundwien/amspiegelgrundwienold.html#:~:text=Close%20to%20800%20children%20died,in%20pavilions%2015%20and%2017. Accessed 24 June 2025.
• “---.” For People and Planet | The University of Vermont, https://www.uvm.edu/~lkaelber/children/amspiegelgrundwien/amspiegelgrundwien.html. Accessed 24 June 2025.
• “Nazi Eugenics | EBSCO Research Starters.” EBSCO Information Services, Inc. | Www.Ebsco.Com, https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/politics-and-government/nazi-eugenics#:~:text=Drawing%20from%20earlier%20eugenics%20movements,human%20rights%20and%20public%20health.&text=By:%20Bankston%2C%20Carl%20L. Accessed 24 June 2025.
• “Non-Complicit: Revisiting Hans Asperger’s Career in Nazi-Era Vienna.” Home | SpringerLink, https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s10803-019-03981-7?author_access_token=dZzd-KC2R39dwixYRFWXzPe4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY4PQ-N-2ke5_YgqrI78NAfBJVBgeiFP5gojxYA5KXqx9hFCeBjq_R0E3yFgPEvrAGTDtq_PnrpYhH5zD-6sXR6PbS1jLTV8N5Cb-eb1DmL10w%3D%3D. Accessed 24 June 2025.
• Reese, Hope. “Asperger’s Syndrome: The Disturbing History of Dr. Asperger and the Movement to Reframe the Syndrome | Vox.” Vox, Vox, 22 May 2018, https://www.vox.com/conversations/2018/5/22/17377766/asperger-nazi-rename-syndrome.
• “Response to ‘Non-Complicit: Revisiting Hans Asperger’s Career in Nazi-Era Vienna’ | Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.” SpringerLink, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-019-04106-w. Accessed 24 June 2025.
• Sheffer, Edith. Asperger’s Children: The Origins of Autism in Nazi Vienna. W. W. Norton & Company, 2018.

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