Old letters show that Hitler feared voice problems – VG

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For over ten years, Carl Otto von Eicken, Germany’s most renowned ear-nose-throat specialist at the time, treated Hitler’s vocal cords. When Hitler had problems with one of his most important instruments of power in 1935, the voice, the Nazi dictator feared the worst – a serious illness.

It appears in old letters that have recently been published, writes the Swiss newspaper NZZ on Sundayquoted by Reuters.

The old letters were once sent from von Eicken to a cousin, and were found by the cousin’s great-grandson, Robert Doepgen, in connection with a school project.

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Charismatic propaganda figures

Hitler was known for giving fiery speeches and fierce appeals to his followers. The letters show how important the voice was to the German dictator.

“If something serious happens, I must find out,” Hitler had said after his first consultation with von Eicken in May 1935, according to the letters.

When Hitler was to operate on a polyp of one centimeter on the vocal cord, the letters reveal that Hitler chose to postpone the operation until after an important speech, because he was advised to rest his voice after the operation.

‘I’m a doctor, not a killer

In the letters, von Eicken reported in detail about his meetings with Hitler and operations that had been carried out. However, he never questioned the treatment of a man who inflicted immense pain on millions of people during the Holocaust and during World War II.

After the war, he was interrogated by Americans and Russians, where he is said to have refused to be antisemitt – a term for hostile attitudes and actions directed at Jews because they are Jews.

When a Russian asked the doctor why he did not kill Hitler, since he had the chance to do so, he is said to have answered the following:

“I’m a doctor, not a killer.”

Hitler committed suicide in a bunker in 1945. Von Eicken died in 1960.

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