author
Eugen Fischer
1874–1967
A German physician and anthropologist, he became one of the most influential figures in early 20th-century racial science. His career later became closely tied to eugenics and Nazi-era institutions, making him a deeply controversial historical figure.
1 Audiobook
Grundriß der menschlichen Erblichkeitslehre und Rassenhygiene (1/2) Menschliche Erblichkeitslehre
by Erwin Baur, Eugen Fischer, Fritz Lenz
About the author
Born in Karlsruhe in 1874, Eugen Fischer studied medicine and the natural sciences and went on to build an academic career in anatomy and anthropology. He later became founding director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Heredity, and Eugenics in Berlin, where he held a major role in shaping research on heredity and so-called race.
Fischer is remembered not only for his academic positions but also for the harmful ideas he promoted. His work on eugenics and racial classification influenced policies and thinking in Germany during the first half of the 20th century, and he was associated with the Nazi Party and the university establishment in Berlin.
Because of that legacy, Fischer is now studied less as a neutral scientist than as a key example of how scholarship can be used to support racism, exclusion, and state violence. He died in Freiburg im Breisgau in 1967.