Biologists under Hitler [Hardcover]

Ute Deichmann (Author), Thomas Dunlap (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0674074041 | ISBN-13: 978-0674074040 | Publication Date: March 1, 1996

On the subject of science in Nazi Germany, we are apt to hear about the collaboration of some scientists, the forced emigration of talented Jewish scientists, the general science phobia of leaders of the Third Reich--but little detail about what actually transpired. Biologists under Hitler is the first book to examine the impact of Nazism on the lives and research of a generation of German biologists. Drawing on previously unutilized archival material, Ute Deichmann, herself a biologist, explores not only what happened to the biologists forced to emigrate but also the careers, science, and crimes of those who stayed in Germany.

Biologists under Hitler combines exhaustive research with capsule biographies of key scientists to overturn certain assumptions about science under the Nazi regime. Biological research, for instance, was neither neglected nor underfunded during World War II; funding by the German Research Association (DFG) in fact increased tenfold between 1933 and 1938, and genetic research in particular flourished. Deichmann shows that the forced emigration of Jews had a less significant impact in biology than in other fields. Furthermore, she reveals that the widely observed decline in German biology after 1945 was not caused primarily by the Third Reich's science policy or by the expulsion of biologists but was due to the international isolation of German scientists as part of the legacy of National Socialism. Her book also provides overwhelming evidence of German scientists' conscious misrepresentation after the war of their wartime activities. In this regard, Deichmann's capsule biography of Konrad Lorenz is particularly telling.

Certain to be regarded as the most thorough and comprehensive account of biological science in Nazi Germany, Biologists under Hitler will interest historians of science, historians of the Nazi era, and biologists, as well as those who wish to learn about the relationship between scientific truth and political realities.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An exhaustive chronicle of biologists and their research under the Nazis...[Readers] will find painstaking detail, a clear understanding of the scientific subject-matter and determination to expose the amoral behaviour of scientists who worked under a criminal regime.
--Richard Bessel (Times Literary Supplement )

Although the 1980s and early 1990s saw an explosion of literature on science in National Socialist Germany, many disciplines, institutions, and other important topics still have not been covered...Ute Deichmann's book thus fills a gap in the literature...This is a comprehensive and detailed study of biologists and biology in social, political, and financial context.
--Kristie Macrakis (American Historical Review )

Biologists Under Hitler examines the impact of Nazism on the lives and research of a generation of German biologists. Drawing on previously unutilized archival material, Ute Deichmann, herself a biologist, not only explores what happened to the biologists forced to emigrate but also investigates the careers, science, and crimes of those who stayed in Germany. Biologists Under Hitler combines exhaustive research with capsule biographies of key scientists to overturn assumptions about science under the Nazi regime...As a thorough and comprehensive account of biological science in Nazi Germany, Biologists Under Hitler is of interest to historians of science, historians of the Nazi era, and biologists, as well as those who wish to learn about the relationship between scientific truth and political realities. (Bulletin of the Institute of Holocaust Research )

Many critics regard this volume as the most thorough and comprehensive account of biological science in Nazi Germany.
--Jack Fischel (Indiana Jewish Post & Opinion )

Review

We are now fortunate to have an English edition of this distinguished work, the first book-length treatment of the history of biology under the Nazis. Deichmann shows that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the biological sciences were handsomely supported during the Nazi period.
--Robert Proctor, Pennsylvania State University

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (March 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674074041
• ISBN-13: 978-0674074040
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,151,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and Revealing, July 24, 2002

By 

R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Biologists under Hitler (Paperback)

This excellent book is a description and analysis of academic biology under the Nazis. This book has an interesting genesis. The author is a biologist and former high school science teacher who became a scholar. Deichmann's work was not supervised by a historian. Her mentor was Benno Muller-Hill, a prominent geneticist who has written about genetics and eugenics during the Nazi regime. Unlike many histories, this book has a quantitative focus; Deichmann assembled a good deal of data about appointments, research achievements, and funding by careful study of the appropriate archival records. The quantitative data is complemented by careful analysis of the scientific work done during this period and review of other writings of many of the involved scientists. Deichmann set out to answer a series of important questions. What was the impact the purge of Jews and leftist scientists on German biology. What happened to those purged? Did the purges affect the type or quality of work done in Germany? Did the Nazi regime hinder research, as was often claimed after the war? To what extent did the remaining biologists collaborate with the Nazi regime? What was the long term effect of the Nazi regime on German biology?
Deichmann shows that the purges affected a significant but not huge number of German biologists. Approximately 14% of the individuals she identifies as academic biologists were forced out of their positions. This is not a large number but Deichmann shows as well that the purged included a disproportionate number of very talented scientists, including some individuals who were world leaders and others, like the late Viktor Hamberger, who would become world leaders. Deichmann is careful to discuss the shortcomings of her methods of enumeration. She doesn't include biochemists, since they were apparently usually in chemistry faculties nor does she include other types of scientists, like chemists or physicists who later migrated into biology. Consequently, her assessment underestimates the long term effect of the purge of Jews and other undesirables. Deichmann shows as well that the purge was accompanied by little protest and a good deal of rather nasty careerism on the part of those who were not purged. Many of those purged were able to establish themselves abroad and had productive careers but many did not, resulting in the premature curtailment of important scientific careers. The type of work done in Germany remained largely unchanged, with many important scientists continuing to work in their chosen fields. A small number of fields, like experimental embryology, came to halt, but most areas continued on. Funding for biology research rose significantly during the Nazi period. While Hitler was personally hostile towards science, many important members of the Nazi hierarchy were enthusiastic about science, including biology. Deichmann provides a series of excellent summaries of work done during the Nazi period. She shows also how quite a few biologists were enmeshed in some of the most horrible aspects of the Nazi regime. Deichmann devotes considerable effort to discussing the effects of the Nazi period on the post-war performance of German biology. In particular, why didn't German biologists contribute to the genesis of molecular biology? This issue is discussed also by Muller-Hill in a preface to the main text. Deichmann and Muller-Hill suggest that the answer is multifactorial including the effects of the devastated German economy, the loss of talented exiled scientists, and especially the intellectual isolation of German biologists after the war. I can't disagree strongly with this analysis though I suspect that Deichmann and Muller-Hill underestimate the effects of the physical impact of the war. During the 1950s, while Germany was rebuilding itself from wasteland, American Universities were beginning the enormous expansion that would lead to the creation of the largest research establishment in human history.
This book is written clearly though there are probably some minor translation errors.
Recommended strongly.