The National Socialist German Doctors' League (''Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher Ärztebund'', abbreviated as NSDÄB or NSD-Ärztebund) was a division of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

with the mission of integrating the German medical profession within the framework of the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

worldview. The organisation was headquartered in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. The League was organized (as with other departments of the Nazi Party) strictly in accord with the ''

Führerprinzip The (, ''Leader Principle'') was the basis of authority, executive authority in the government of Nazi Germany. It placed the Führer's word above all written law, and meant that Law of Nazi Germany, government policies, decisions, and officia ...

'' ("leader principle") as well as the principle of '' Machtdistanz'' ("power distance"). The League was led by the Reich Health Leader (''Reichsärzteführer'').

History

The National Socialist German Doctors' League was founded by the Nazi Party on August 3, 1929 on the initiative of the doctor and publisher . He was also the first chairman, with his tenure lasting three years. The NSDÄB's self-image was not that of a representative body, but of a combat organisation. As such, the League developed the essential "scientific" foundations of Nazi health policy, which culminated in the

racial hygiene The term racial hygiene was used to describe an approach to eugenics in the early 20th century, which found its most extensive implementation in Nazi Germany (Nazi eugenics). It was marked by efforts to avoid miscegenation, analogous to an anim ...

concept of annihilation of the " life unworthy of life". The NSDÄB's organizational structure followed that of the Nazi Party. Gerhard Wagner had been the leader of the NSDÄB since 1932, and in 1934 he received the title of Reich Health Leader (''Reichsärzteführer''). In 1935, he enforced the rigorous synchronization of the medical associations and contributed to the drafting of the

Nuremberg Laws The Nuremberg Laws (, ) were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on 15 September 1935, at a special meeting of the Reichstag convened during the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party. The two laws were the Law ...

. Wagner's proposals included a forced separation of "mixed marriages" and a marriage ban for "quarter Jews"; however, these were not included in the law after Hitler's intervention. After Wagner's sudden death in 1939 at the age of 50, Leonardo Conti took over his position. The NSDÄB ceased operations for the duration of the war on October 13, 1942, when it had around 46,000 members. After Germany's defeat in World War II, the Nazi Party, its divisions and affiliated groups were declared "criminal organizations" and banned by the

Allied Control Council The Allied Control Council (ACC) or Allied Control Authority (), also referred to as the Four Powers (), was the governing body of the Allies of World War II, Allied Allied-occupied Germany, occupation zones in Germany (1945–1949/1991) and Al ...

on October 10, 1945.Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP) 1933-1945
/ref> Conti, who was to be held accountable for his participation in the Nazi

Action T4 (German, ) was a campaign of Homicide#By state actors, mass murder by involuntary euthanasia which targeted Disability, people with disabilities and the mentally ill in Nazi Germany. The term was first used in post-WWII, war trials against d ...

in the

Nuremberg Trials #REDIRECT Nuremberg trials {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ...

, hanged himself in his prison cell in October 1945.

Reich Health Leaders

*1934-1939: Gerhard Wagner (1888-1939), German doctor, Reich Health Leader *1933-1939: (1891-1953), German doctor, Deputy Reich Health Leader *1939 to August 1944: Leonardo Conti (1900-1945), German-Swiss doctor, Reich Health Leader *1939-probably 1945: Kurt Blome (1894-1969), German doctor, Deputy Reich Health Leader

References

{{Authority control 1932 establishments in Germany Organizations disestablished in 1945 Medical associations based in Germany Nazi Party organizations Medicine in Nazi Germany

History

Reich Health Leaders

See also

References