Parkinson’s disease may have caused Nazi Germany leader Adolf Hitler to make reckless decisions due to the neurological disorder’s degenerative effects.
A new study — Understanding the Influence of Parkinson’s Disease on Adolf Hitler’s Decision-Making During World War II — was conducted by the University of Pittsburgh’s Raghav Gupta and a team of researchers.
Their recently published paper suggests Hitler suffered from the idiopathic disease throughout his life and caused him to make irrational decisions such as the invasion of Russia.
“We purport that Germany’s defeat in World War II was influenced by Hitler’s questionable and risky decision-making and his inhumane and callous personality, both of which were likely affected by his Parkinson’s condition,” write the researchers. “Likewise, his paranoid disorder marked by intense anti-Semitic beliefs influenced his treatment of Jews and other non-Germanic peoples.” “We also suggest that the condition played an important role in his eventual political decline,” they add.
Source: www.washington.cbslocal.com
