Dictators in the Mirror of Medicine: Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin [Hardcover]

Anton Neumayr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

Like comets, they flashed across the sky of world politics; obsessed with power, they mobilized enormous masses of people for their ambitious goalsthose three world-historical figures who changed the face of this earth: Napoleon, Stalin, Hitler. Millions of victims died on the altar of their greed for power, fame, and sadistic vengeance or of their pathological delusions. With persuasive expertise, Anton Neumayr discusses the medical histories and develops fascinating psychographs of these three personalities, including psychiatric, psycho-historical, and criminal-psychological aspects. His clear writing style results from his unique combination of talents, bringing psycho/historical/medical research within the grasp of all.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fascinating and extraordinary discourse on three 'bad guys'. Anton Neumayr, an Austrian internist, has, with considerable adroitness, achieved a dispassionate triplet of biographies with a minimum of commentary and analysis.David J. Parent, who has translated many books and articles, brings a liveliness to the text that makes it readable. A good book for both the general reader and the scholar." -- John H. Mather, Nature Medicine

"Neumayr's purpose in this extensive, carefully studied psycho-biography of Napoleon Bonaparte, Hitler, and Stalin is to subject to medical study the 'spectacular rise and catastrophic fall of each of these despots.' Neumayrcapture(s) Hitler's personalityits cool narcissistic, alienated, and sadistic burdensand his voyeuristic and underdeveloped patterns of sexual intimacy that are the hallmarks of Hitler as a limited and distant person. Neumayr vividly describes Hitler's overall physical and psychological deterioration as the war proceeded against the Nazi forcesmakes good reading. Neumayr's work adds another prism through which to view fascinating protagonists who have left indelible marks upon society." -- Burton C. Einspruch, M.D., Journal of the American Medical Association

"The style is engaging. The lives of these men dramatically and horrifically unfold. There is little overarching analysis. Some powerful themes come through: the ability of these men to rationalize crimes away; their feelings of omnipotence; the dangerous narcissism of believing one is chosen by fate; the lure of the fanatic at a time of chaos." -- Rosemary A. Stevens, PhD, New England Journal of Medicine

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 462 pages
• Publisher: Medi-ed Pr (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936741090
• ISBN-13: 978-0936741093
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #654,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insight on 3 Villains of History, May 30, 2003

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Alan Beggerow (Sterling, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dictators in the Mirror of Medicine: Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin (Hardcover)

This book consists of biographies/medical histories of the three dictators Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin. Of the three, perhaps Napoleon comes across as the better man, but considering the other two that he is compared against, that is not much of a compliment.
What struck me about all three men was their utter ruthlessness and greed for power. Napoleon sacrificed his army in hopeless wars without any remorse, along with Hitler and Stalin. But Hitler and Stalin also participated directly in the murder of innocent civilians for reasons that only could make sense to someone hungry for power and paranoid to the extreme.
Dr. Neumayr reviews their lives, their physical ailments, and to a certain extent their mental health. But by no means is this a book that rambles on with page after page of suppositions and hastily drawn conclusions. To be sure, the mental health of all three is questioned, but were they insane? After reading about the millions of lives that these men took, and the misery caused for their countries, it is even more chilling to know that they knew exactly what they were doing.
All three paid the price for their murder, deceit and immorality. Dr Neumayr examines their physical health, and toward the end of their lives they all suffered from many physical ailments, some directly caused by the stress that their ambitions placed on them. But the suffering they had was as nothing compared to the suffering they caused.
I have also read Dr. Neumayer's three-volume biography/medical history of the great classical music composers. If your interest in famous people goes beyond learning a few facts about their lives, then these books will certainly be of interest to you. Highly recommended!