New German Medicine (German: Neue Deutsche Heilkunde) was a movement in Nazi Germany during the 1930s and 1940s that aimed to integrate conventional scientific medicine with various forms of alternative medicine, including naturopathy and homeopathy. Driven by prominent Nazi leaders such as Rudolf Hess and Heinrich Himmler, who were ardent supporters of alternative healing practices, the movement sought to create a unified German medical system that emphasized natural and holistic approaches to health.
Medical crisis
Medical freedom laws Reichstag of the North German Confederation passed the Commercial Code of 1869 which reinstates Kurierfreiheit, allowing both licensed and unlicensed practitioners medical freedom. While academically trained practitioners are restricted to using the term "medical practitioner" under §29, Heilkunst (the art of healing) can be practiced by anyone without specific qualifications. Pressure from physicians leads to the addition of §56 in 1883, prohibiting "traveling healers," with subsequent restrictions.
Crisis in 1920s The rising number of lay practitioners exacerbated medical ignorance, prompting the Reichstag's attention in 1909, though a drafted law fails. In the 1920s, doctors face a significant crisis as inflation pushes health insurance companies to financial ruin. Settlement of accounts shifts to quarterly, prompting doctor strikes as they blame the social system for inadequate financing. To address such pressing issues such as the so called "Crisis of Medicine" and the "Quackery Problem" it was widely acknowledged (by Healthcare professionals, policymakers, and scholars) that the strictly natural science-based approach to medicine was deficient and needed to incorporate insights from psychology, psychoanalysis, and naturopathy.Lienert, M. (2005). Ärzte und Medizin im Nationalsozialismus - Dresden – Zentrum der Neuen Deutschen Heilkunde. Ärzteblatt Sachsen, 4/2005, 156. Retrieved from https://www.slaek.de/media/dokumente/ueber-uns/presse/aerzteblatt/archiv/2001-2010/2005/04/0405_156.pdfFortes, L. (2010). Homeopathy and National-Socialism. Lore Fortes Circumscribere, 8, 12-27. Retrieved from https://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/circumhc/article/view/3080/1999
Furthermore, there was a growing lack of trust in the medical profession among the public, attributed in part to the reductionist perspective of medicine and the widening gap between diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities, as well as social insurance systems. Among the most prominent critics of contemporary medicine was Erwin Liek (1878-1935), a renowned surgeon and gynecologist, who argued for doctors to assert leadership in health policy, which should also encompass eugenic considerations.
Amalgamation The naturopathy movement and scientific medicine's growing confrontation led to the amalgamation of naturopathic organizations in 1926. The "Reich Committee for the Nonprofitmaking Organizations of the Movement for Health in the Population" served as the umbrella organization, bringing together leading associations such as the German Biochemical Association, Association of Homeopathic Lay Practitioners, German Association of Organizations for Natural Living and Healing, Kneipp Federation, Bund der Felkevereine, and Central Association for Parity in Medical Practice.
History of movement Development (1933-1936)
With the rise of National Socialism in 1933, recognition from conventional medical practitioners was achieved with government support.
The precursor to the Neue Deutsche Heilkunde was the Deutscher Verband der Ärzte für physikalische-diätetische Behandlung (German Association of Doctors for Physical-Dietetic Treatment), which gathered in November 1934, at the Rudolf Hess Hospital in Dresden. The hospital was established on June 5, 1934, as a center for medical research in natural therapy.
In May 1935, during the Nuremberg conference "Volksheilkunde aus Blut und Boden," Julius Streicher announced the establishment of the Reichsarbeitsgemeinschaft für eine Neue Deutsche Heilkunde (Reich Working Group for a New German Medicine), to be led by Dr. Karl Kötschau. This announcement took place at the Reichstagung der deutschen Volksheilbewegung (Meeting of the Popular German Therapeutic Movement).Hofer, H.-G., & Kröner, H.-P. (Wintersemester 2023/24). Geschichte der Medizin. Skriptum im Rahmen der VL Geschichte, Theorie und Ethik der Medizin, aktualisierte Fassung. Page 21. Retrieved from https://www.medizin.uni-muenster.de/fileadmin/einrichtung/egtm/pbsurvey/GTE/Skripte/Skript_Geschichte_der_Medizin_WiSe_23-24.pdf
Several medical organizations encompassing fields such as psychotherapy, baths and climate therapy, homeopathy, Kneipp therapy, naturalistic medicine, private hospitals, and anthroposophic medicine merged to comply with the new health policy. The merged organization had seven corporate members, including leading associations of homeopathic and naturopathic physicians, alongside the League for Biodynamic Healing.
On issue number twelve of "Internationales Ärztliches Bulletin" dated December 1935, the Reich Physicians' Leader Dr. Wagner, declared:Holitscher, A., & Turek, A. (Eds.). (1935). Internationales Ärztliches Bulletin. Zentralorgan der Internationalen Vereinigung Sozialistischer Ärzte (Vol. II, No. 7, p. 89). Praha. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/IAB_II_1935_7If we want to build a new medical science today, the foundation of this medical science can never be exact natural science, but the foundation can only be our National Socialist worldview.Starting from January 1936, a series of meetings took place, organized by the NSDAP, occurred in Nuremberg and was attended by University of Erlangen medicine faculty members along with all medical professors. During this gathering, Wagner criticized the traditional approach to medical education, highlighting its narrow focus on producing doctors, natural scientists, and technicians. He advocated for a new orientation in medical training, emphasizing the need for a revamped German medicine that would be more inclusive of diverse therapeutic methods and open-minded in its approach to scientific inquiry. Kötschau stated the need to move past the division between medical factions. He praised biological medicine's success, suggesting that traditional medicine had reached its limits.
In April 1936, the first Reich Meeting of the Association for a New German Medicine was held in Wiesbaden, coinciding with the 48th Congress of the German Society of Internal Medicine. The event marked the apex of the Association's influence, with key figures such as Wagner, Kötschau, Hermann Griesbeck, Alfred Schwenkenbecher, and Hermann Berger worked to promote the integration.
Consolidation and transition (1937-1940) Official recognition of natural therapies, including homeopathy came in the form of a law called the Reichsärzteordnung (Medical Regulation of the Reich) in 1937 which introduced a new professional statute, redefining medical specialties.
The initiative's demise stemmed from insurmountable challenges. For instance, Wagner advocated setting aside naturopathic practices that clashed with public health measures like vaccination, pharmaceutical treatments, and localized diagnostic methods. Furthermore, the wartime demand for healthcare professionals to tend to military personnel and address public health issues at home necessitated licensed doctors with academic backgrounds. Persistent conflicts between lay healers and licensed doctors, as well as between lay healers and academic medicine, persisted, transcending political, religious, and racial divides.
The organization responsible for developing policy for the Neue Deutsche Heilkunde was dissolved in January 1937 by Wagner.Sharma, A. (2014). We Lived for the Body: Natural Medicine and Public Health in Imperial Germany (pp. 119-121). Cornell University Press.
However, despite this setback, the aspiration to establish the New German Medicine persisted, as Wagner maintained that its objectives remained unchanged. Subsequently, from 1937 onward, there was a shift in the understanding of "synthesis," though the fundamental principles and recognition by official medicine were retained, despite past criticism and disparagement. Key objectives included the training of all German doctors, especially the younger generation, and the establishment of educational institutions.
The dissolution of the New German Medicine gained momentum following Wagner's passing on March 25, 1939. Leonardo Conti (1900-1945) assumed his role as the City Medical Advisor of Berlin, having previously served as the director in the Berlin Gau of the German Association of Doctors of National Socialism. Conti's background in medical bureaucracy inclined him toward conventional medicine.
After 1940, the concept of integrating conventional medicine, homeopathy, and natural therapies disappeared entirely. Medical journals exclusively focused on conventional medicine and its perceived achievements.
Post-war influence (1945 and beyond) As part of the Denazification efforts in the German Democratic Republic, and to distinguish itself from the capitalist Federal Republic of Germany, stricter control was imposed on Naturopathy. This led to a significant reduction in the number of practitioners specializing in natural therapies, with only twelve remaining by 1989. It appears that the practice was effectively marginalized from the public health system.
In contrast, in the Federal Republic, approximately 35,000 doctors specialized or had subspecialties in natural therapies, highlighting a significant disparity between the two German states. Following the war, there was a noticeable surge in the popularity of natural therapies, medicines, and consumer products in the postwar West, a trend that continues in Germany's medical marketplace.
However, in the Western context, both consumers and practitioners often prioritize addressing individual bodily concerns over engaging with social criticism within the realm of alternative medicine.
Areas of practice
Anthroposophy With the assistance of Hess, Müller, and other Nazi officials, anthroposophist medicine became one of the central constituents of the Neue Deutsche Heilkunde. Dr. Friedrich Husemann led the doctors within the anthroposophical movement, which later became the League for Biodynamic Healing. They advocated for anthroposphist medicine within Nazi health policies, receiving support from government officials like Dr. Eugen Stähle and Ludwig Müller. The movement also established institutions which found support from Nazi leaders like Julius Streicher.
Streicher in his publication "Deutsche Volksgesundheit aus Blut und Boden" covered anthroposophist health initiatives. Reporting on a meeting of naturopathic physicians in June 1934, the periodical gave special attention to Husemann's presentation on "the threefold nature of the human organism" as well as Dr. Wilhelm Pelikan's final presentation on "anthroposophical medicine." Reports on the November 1934 meeting of naturopathic doctors at the Rudolf Hess Hospital in Dresden highlighted the role of biodynamics and praised Dr. Josef Schulz's presentation on Demeter products.
However, anthroposophy continued to be a part of National Socialist health measures. A conference held in July 1938, sponsored by the Nazi public health authorities, featured prominent anthroposophist Franz Dreidax as a presenter. Most of the attending doctors were members of the Nazi Party, including Dr. Ernst Harmstorf, an early adopter of anthroposophical medicine.
Heilpraktiker
Heilpraktikergesetz is the first regulation to the law governing the professional practice of medicine without a medical license. It was issued on 18 February 1939, and outlines conditions and procedures for obtaining a permit to practice as a Heilpraktiker (non-medical practitioner) in Germany.