Dr. Peter Emil Becker and the Third Reich: Correspondence

ABSTRACT Peter Emil Becker was a German neurologist who is remembered for his studies of muscular dystrophies. Becker muscular dystrophy and Becker myotonia are named after him. His biography appeared in the American Journal of Medical Genetics in 1985. Later, an article by Frank Hill in the same journal was focusing on the role of Becker in the Third Reich. The article by Hill makes conjectures about the involvement of Becker in the T4 Euthanasia Program based on an incorrect interpretation of literature references and by artificially constructing connections of Becker to this program. This needs to be corrected. The “Nazi Past” of Becker was investigated very thoroughly in an article in the Journal of Child Neurology . Peter Emil Becker had no leading positions in Nazi organizations nor was he involved in Nazi crimes. He did not praise the leader state, like other researchers in his field did. A thorough inspection of his work shows that he was avoiding national socialistic topics such as racial biology and eugenics. But to further his academic career, however, he became a member of Nazi organizations.