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Hitler had one testicle and possibly a micropenis, according to new DNA analysis
The rumour that the Nazi leader had Jewish ancestry has also been debunked
November 13, 2025 12:24
The rumour that the Nazi leader had Jewish ancestry has also been debunked
November 13, 2025 12:24Adolf Hitler likely had a sexual disorder, only one testicle and possibly a micropenis, according to new DNA analysis, which also debunked the claim that he had Jewish ancestry.
The ground-breaking research, led by forensic DNA specialist Professor Turi King and historian of Nazi Germany Dr Alex Kay, was conducted for a new two-part documentary, Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator, airing on Channel 4.
Discussing the findings, Professor King told BBC Radio 4: "I have some wonderful colleagues at the Pasteur institute who found that he has a deletion in a gene which we know is strongly associated with a condition known as Kallmann syndrome, which is characterised by low testosterone levels, by abnormal development of the sexual organs, and in 5 - 10 per cent of cases, a micropenis.”
Discussing how the DNA findings seem to give weight to historical rumours about the Nazi dictator’s sexual development, notably as the British wartime song Hitler Has Only Got One Ball, Professor King added: "We cannot say for certain about the state of his genitalia… but there are historical documents which talk about him having right-sided cryptorchidism, so an undescended testicle, and rumours about him having under-developed genitalia – so it’s lovely when you marry the genetics with the history.”
Although the Führer’s physical and mental state have long been a topic of interest, this is the first time his DNA has been analysed – with the team using blood from a scrap of fabric said to be from his “suicide couch”, held at the Gettysburg Museum of History in Pennsylvania.
The analysis similarly ruled out the long-running conspiracy theory that the Nazi leader had Jewish ancestry, a claim prominently repeated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in 2022.
Alongside the research into his physical health and ancestry, the team also commissioned tests to try and understand more about Hitler’s psychological state.
Explaining the findings by the team at Aarhus University, who used the DNA to give Hitler a polygenic score, Professor King revealed: "He’s in the top one per cent for schizophrenia, autism and bipolar.
“We are at pains to say, this does not mean that he had any of those conditions,” she added. “It is not diagnostic. But it is of course fascinating given who this individual is, that he does have that genetic predisposition towards those conditions.”
Discussing the ethics of the work, Dr Kay said: “I think there’s a certain duty to take advantage of this incredible opportunity that we’ve been given to learn more about him,” adding he was particularly pleased to “put to bed this rumour that he may have had Jewish ancestry”.
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