New revelations about Hans Berger, father of the EEG, and his ties to the Third Reich
journal contributionposted on 18.12.2013, 00:00 by Lawrence A. Zeidman, James Stone, Daniel Kondziella
Hans Berger was a German neuropsychiatrist and head of the neurology department at the University of Jena, who discovered the human EEG. Many sources state that Berger was forced into retirement and suicide by the Nazis because he was at odds with the regime. In fact, Berger helped select his Nazi successor Berthold Kihn (also complicit in “euthanasia” murders), financially supported the Nazi SS, and was a willing participant on Nazi genetic health higher courts that reviewed appeals for forced sterilizations of neuropsychiatric patients. His motivations may be related to avoiding Nazi harassment, indoctrination by Nazi ideology, or less likely, career opportunism. His actions stand in contrast to colleagues who partially resisted the Nazis, and hopefully will serve as an example to future generations of neurologists regarding the danger of allowing one’s professional standing to be used as a tool to support the policies of tyranny and oppression.