As the world’s most notorious villain, rumors about Hitler’s personal life spread even before his death in 1945. Historians have confirmed stories regarding the dictator’s addiction to methamphetamines and now a new book claims to have uncovered another reason for his genocidal warmongering.
"Hitler himself is believed to have had two forms of genital abnormality: an undescended testicle and a rare condition called penile hypospadias, in which the urethra opens on the underside of the penis," historians Jonathan Mayo and Emma Craigie write in their new book, Hitler’s Last Day: Minute by Minute.
These claims are based on medical records, and seem to be backed up by other accounts. Two months ago, German historian Peter Fleischmann claimed to have unearthed medical records from 1923 which state that Hitler suffered from an undescended right testicle. The dictator’s personal doctor, Theodor Morell, also allegedly recorded symptoms of hypospadias.
There are varying degrees of hypospadias. The defect causes the urethra to emerge on the underside of the penis, and in its most severe form, the urethra opens at the base of the penis. Because of this, more of the penis may fuse to the body, resulting in a condition known colloquially as "micro-penis."
While there is no evidence to suggest that Hitler’s hypospadias was severe enough to cause micro-penis, it remains entirely possible that Hitler had a micro-penis.
Still, in an interview with the Independent, Craigie urged against this kind of speculation.
"Ms. Craigie urged caution surrounding the reports, saying that any suggestion he had a micro-penis, because he potentially suffered from hypospadias, was a ‘leap’ and that she had not seen any evidence to suggest anything more than general hypospadias," Carolina Mortimer wrote for the Independent.
It may not be backed up completely by evidence, but the possibility that Hitler was motivated by his little Fuhrer certainly makes a lot of sense.