Prof. Dr. Hans Reiter ... SS officer?

[Max Williams]

I am researching Hans Reiter, the doctor who gave his name to the condition 'Reiter's Syndrome'. There is no doubt that he conducted experiments on inmates at Buchenwald KL and was convicted of such crimes post-war. Some sources state that he was a member of the SS, but I have been unable to confirm this. Can anyone assist please? I have his biographical details, but any other information would be helpful, especially post-war prosecution.
Thanks in advance,
Max.

Here is a short essay on him entitled "The Despicable Dr. Hans Reiter" by Gabe Mirkin, MD. Somehow I get the impression he didn't like him!

"One of the greatest tributes a physician can receive is to have a medical condition named after him. For example, I had the pleasure to know Dr. Mike Leventhal and remember how all the residents in training with me treated him with the greatest reverence because he was the Leventhal of Stein-Leventhal syndrome, now called polycystic ovary syndrome. Everyone respects the men associated with Alzheimer's disease, Down's syndrome, Hodgkin's disease and Dupuytren's contracture. It is such a great honor that it should not be granted to any person who lies when he takes the Hippocratic oath in which he swears that he will not practice medicine in a way that will harm his fellow man.


"In The Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, Drs. Dan Wallace and Mike Weisman of the University of California, Los Angeles, report that Reiter's syndrome was named after one of the most heinous, hateful and despicable physicians who ever lived. Not only did he perform horrendous experiments on humans, he also didn't even name the disease correctly and his report was not the first on that condition. All that this loathsome and disgusting physician did was report that in 1916, a German military officer had a sexual affair that was followed by terrible burning on urination, high fever, terrible pains in his joints and burning in his eyes. We now know that this condition can be cured by taking doxycycline or other antibioitcs for many months or even years. But odious, vile Dr. Reiter thought it was caused by a spirochete, similar to the one that causes syphilis. This theory was abandoned because no patients improved with the treatment for syphilis.

"Despicable and venomous Dr. Hans Conrad Julius Reiter was one of the first physicians to swear an oath of allegiance to Adolph Hitler in 1932 and was one of the most prominent members of a the eugenics movement that advocated killing all people who had any physical or mental disability whatever. In 1937, as a result of his disgusting beliefs, he was appointed president of the Reich Health Office. He declared that it is medicine's responsibility to stop further transmission of inferior genes. Disgusting Dr. Reiter sanctioned medical experiments that killed thousands of unfortunate human beings at Buchenwald Concentration camp. He gave the orders to perform and he supervised many medical atrocities. One documented experiment was to infect 250 prisoners at Buchenwald with rickettsia and then kill them.

"The Spondylitis Society that represents patients who have arthritis, recently voted to call Reiter's syndrome, reactive arthritis. Hopefully, the rest of the medical profession will call burning on urination, pain in the eyes and arthritis reactive arthritis and stop paying homage to the immoral killer, Dr. Hans Reiter, who lied when he took the Hippocratic Oath. After all a physician pledges that first, he will do no harm. The syndrome is called reactive arthritis. No self-respecting physician should ever use the name Reiter's syndrome again."

[Andreas Schulz]

Prof. Dr. med. Hans Reiter was 00.07.1933 - 00.05.1945 (bis 00.10.1933 kommissarischer) Präsident des Reichsgesundheitsamtes in Berlin (26.07.1933 Amtseinführung durch Staatssekretär Pfundtner). On 01.10.1941 he joined the SA as Standartenführer.
00.00.1945 - 00.00.1947 in amerikanischer Gefangenschaft;
00.00.1949 - 00.00.1952 Arzt in der Königin-Elena-Klinik in Kassel

AnDie

[Max Williams]

Prof. Dr. med. Hans Reiter was 00.07.1933 - 00.05.1945 (bis 00.10.1933 kommissarischer) Präsident des Reichsgesundheitsamtes in Berlin (26.07.1933 Amtseinführung durch Staatssekretär Pfundtner). On 01.10.1941 he joined the SA as Standartenführer.
00.00.1945 - 00.00.1947 in amerikanischer Gefangenschaft;
00.00.1949 - 00.00.1952 Arzt in der Königin-Elena-Klinik in Kassel

AnDie

Andreas,
Thank you. I have this information already, but do you know if he was ever a SS officer?
MfG
Max.

[Eddy Marz]

Hi Max;
Research on typhus was, as we know, conducted in 'Block 46' at KL Buchenwald. But it was also coupled with 'Block 50' where research and experiments on serum-therapy and vaccine (many IG Farben products) were conducted, including criminal innoculation of diseases. Block 50 was officially destined for experiments on human beings on January 2, 1942 by order of Berlin's Wehrmacht Military-Medical Academy. Block 50 was founded in September 43 by SS Stubaf Erwin Ding-Schuler and automatically came under orders of the Hygien Institut des Waffen-SS headed by Dr. Mrugrowsky. Concerning Dr. med. Hans Reiter, and the fact that he is apparently guilty of criminal innoculations (the vast majority of which were committed exclusively by SS doctors or under SS supervision) and was appointed president of the Reich Health Office, I suggest you turn towards Mrugrowsky's various teams, or doctors working for Farben under SS supervision. Who knows ? You may find useful info on original Nuremberg 'Doctor's Trial' exhibits at : http://www.law.harvard.edu/library (thousands of them).
Regards
Eddy

[Dieter Zinke]

According to Ernst Klee "Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945":

No SS-member.
18.08.1942 außerordentliches Mitglied des Wissenschaftlichen Senats des Heeressanitätswesens
(associate member of the scientific board of the medical department of the german Heer)

1944 im Wissenschaftlichen Beirat des Bevollmächtigten für das Gesundheitswesen (Prof. Karl Brandt)
(in the scientific board of the Plenipotentiary for the public health system)

The "Reiter-Syndrom" with arthritis, urethritis and iritis is very common in the male age group between 18 and 25 actuated by frostiness and wetness.
Therefore it' s a common problem with the recruits and I saw many cases there more than 30 years ago.
Nowadays the treatment is without problems.
See also (in english too):
http://www.medizin-forum.de/prostatitis/reiters-d.html

Dieter Z.

[Max Williams]

Thank you gentlemen.
Max.

[paolosilv]

Wikipedia has limited information.
Dr Hans Conrad Julius Reiter; d. 1969. After his release he went right back into medicine. I didn't see his name listed in Lifton's "The Nazi Doctors."

Wikipedia does mention Dr. Johann Breger as his co-author of a book on Racial Hygiene. However, I couldn't find any other information on him.

best , Paul