Hitler's secret genetic sexual disorder revealed following DNA analysis
The dictator “would have almost certainly have sent himself to the gas chambers” if he had seen his own genetic results, an expert said.
Adolf Hitler had a sexual disorder he hid from the world for his entire life - but it has now been revealed following an astonishing analysis of his DNA.
Listen to this article
The sample of the Nazi dictator's DNA was reportedly retrieved in 1945 from the blood-stained sofa in the Führerbunker, where Hitler took his own life.
Colonel Roswell P Rosengren of the US Army, a press officer for General Eisenhower, is thought to have grabbed the cloth from Hitler’s deathbed.
Eighty years on, an analysis of Hitler’s genome found on the cloth has blown the lid wide open into his sexual development.
The research, set to be published in a scientific journal, has revealed that Hitler had Kallmann syndrome.
This genetic disorder hinders the standard progression of puberty as well as the development of sexual organs, and may have had an impact on his testosterone levels.
Read more: Elon Musk's chatbot that praised Hitler was 'trained to use his personal beliefs'
It means he had a one in 10 chance of having a micropenis, which could suggest the rumours from the First World War, where Hitler was bullied by fellow soldiers for the size of his genitalia, are in fact true.
It also comes after a 1923 medical check of Hitler, which only emerged in 2015, revealed he had an undescended testicle.
Experts speculate that the condition also has impacted Hitler’s psychology and his behaviour, but this remains up for debate.
While the research could cause controversy - both in how it was carried out and the conclusions that have been drawn - an expert has said it is clear how Hitler would have responded if he saw these genes in anyone else
In fact, Professor Turi King, the lead geneticist on the research, said he “would have almost certainly have sent himself to the gas chambers.”
“He could have had the most boring genome on the planet… But he didn’t,” she told the Times.
The research will be covered in Channel 4’s documentary 'Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator', airing on Saturday.
It is hoped the research and documentary will not lead to people with the conditions that are suggested by Hitler’s genes being stigmatised.