Edith Sheffer's Blog - Posts Tagged "edith-sheffer"
NPR Interview: Doctor Behind Asperger's Syndrome Subject To Name Change
In the book "Asperger's Children: The Origins of Autism in Nazi Vienna," Edith Sheffer writes about the doctor who first diagnosed Asperger's Syndrome. Sheffer tells NPR's Michel Martin how Hans Asperger's Nazi ties were hidden for years.
LAKSHMI SINGH, HOST:
Across the country, people have been grappling with how to acknowledge historical moments that are now understood as morally reprehensible. Recently, this has involved emotional debates about statues or names of streets, schools and other public buildings. And now that debate has moved to a medical diagnosis. Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism that was named after Hans Asperger, a doctor in Nazi Vienna. Although he had long been suspected of Nazi ties, Hans Asperger's real story was largely unknown until now. And that knowledge has sparked a debate over whether the diagnosis should be renamed. Historian Edith Sheffer tells the story in her new book, "Asperger's Children: The Origins Of Autism In Nazi Vienna." And our own Michel Martin spoke with her recently.
MICHEL MARTIN, BYLINE: Professor Sheffer, thanks so much for speaking with us.
EDITH SHEFFER: Thank you so much for having me.
MARTIN: So, first of all, please tell us about Hans Asperger, who he was and what his ties were to the Nazi Party's killing machine.
SHEFFER: Well, sure. Hans Asperger was a pediatrician who lived in Vienna in the 1930s and '40s. What's been grabbing the headlines and what my book reveals is his involvement in the child euthanasia program which was murdering children considered to be disabled. And Hans Asperger was not a major figure in this program, and that's why his past has not been uncovered until now. But he was involved in transferring children to Vienna's killing center at Spiegelgrund. And he can be linked to the deaths of dozens of children there.
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LAKSHMI SINGH, HOST:
Across the country, people have been grappling with how to acknowledge historical moments that are now understood as morally reprehensible. Recently, this has involved emotional debates about statues or names of streets, schools and other public buildings. And now that debate has moved to a medical diagnosis. Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism that was named after Hans Asperger, a doctor in Nazi Vienna. Although he had long been suspected of Nazi ties, Hans Asperger's real story was largely unknown until now. And that knowledge has sparked a debate over whether the diagnosis should be renamed. Historian Edith Sheffer tells the story in her new book, "Asperger's Children: The Origins Of Autism In Nazi Vienna." And our own Michel Martin spoke with her recently.
MICHEL MARTIN, BYLINE: Professor Sheffer, thanks so much for speaking with us.
EDITH SHEFFER: Thank you so much for having me.
MARTIN: So, first of all, please tell us about Hans Asperger, who he was and what his ties were to the Nazi Party's killing machine.
SHEFFER: Well, sure. Hans Asperger was a pediatrician who lived in Vienna in the 1930s and '40s. What's been grabbing the headlines and what my book reveals is his involvement in the child euthanasia program which was murdering children considered to be disabled. And Hans Asperger was not a major figure in this program, and that's why his past has not been uncovered until now. But he was involved in transferring children to Vienna's killing center at Spiegelgrund. And he can be linked to the deaths of dozens of children there.
Read more
