The end of a myth. Contrary to popular rumors, Adolf Hitler did not have a Jewish grandfather, British researchers announced after analyzing a piece of cloth soaked in the Nazi dictator’s blood, taken from the sofa on which he committed suicide on April 30, 1945.
This is the first time researchers have sequenced Hitler’s genome, according to Turi King, a geneticist at the University of Bath (western England), who led the scientific study that was the subject of a documentary broadcast Saturday, November 15 on British television Channel 4. This sequence “busting myths” that he had a Jewish grandfather, a rumor that started during his lifetime and still persists today, say the authors of the documentary entitled Hitler’s DNA : profile of a dictator.
According to these rumors, the German leader’s father was the result of an affair between his grandmother and her Jewish mistress. However, researchers have discovered a genetic match between the dictator and the male line of Hitler’s family. If the rumors are true, “We will not get a DNA match with Hitler’s family,” Turi King explained to AFP.
Additionally, although the Nazi’s personal life continues to raise questions, analysis of his DNA revealed that he was “very possible” suffers from Kallmann syndrome, which is often manifested in men by low testosterone levels and abnormal development of sexual organs. A syndrome often associated with cryptorchidism (undescended testicles), which can cause micropenis.
DNA analysis made it possible for the first time to corroborate historical documents that suggest he suffered from right-sided cryptorchidism, researchers said. Which echoes popular songs from World War II which often mocked Hitler’s anatomy.
The test also reveals the score “very high” (in the top 1%) for autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder tendencies. But researchers emphasize that these riots cannot explain Hitler’s policies, which led to the deaths of tens of millions of people, including the genocide of six million Jews.
