Eugenics and Ear Disease

[Peter]

Here is a link to an article about a false Nazi theory that pregant women, with otosclerosis ear disease had an increased risk of hearing loss. Apparently born of the Nazi eugenics movement, the medical ideas have been widely accepted for the last 60 years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/waseardisorderslinktopregnancyanaziplot

The article says in part:

"We were able to prove that there was absolutely no significant correlation between pregnancy and hearing loss among women with otosclerosis," Lippy said. "Women with the disease who had children, regardless of how many, had no worse hearing than women who'd never had children."


In fact, Lippy traced the source for this misinformation to a 1939 seminar held by German physicians. At the time, their speculation of an otosclerosis-pregnancy link was used by the Nazi government to promote genetic purity in the Aryan race.


"The Nazis didn't want any genetic desecration propagated in the Aryan race," Lippy said.


He presented his findings this week at the Triological Society's annual meeting in Boca Raton, Fla."


Peter

p.s. Sorry, I guess that this should have been posted in the "in the news" section.