Eugen Fischer

author

Eugen Fischer

1874–1967

A central and deeply controversial figure in early 20th-century German anthropology, his work shaped debates about heredity and race in ways that still draw scrutiny today. He was a physician, professor, and institutional leader whose career became closely tied to the history of eugenics in Germany.

1 Audiobook

Grundriß der menschlichen Erblichkeitslehre und Rassenhygiene (1/2)

Grundriß der menschlichen Erblichkeitslehre und Rassenhygiene (1/2)

by Erwin Baur, Eugen Fischer, Fritz Lenz

About the author

Born on July 5, 1874, and dying on July 9, 1967, Eugen Fischer was a German physician and anthropologist who became a prominent academic voice on heredity, physical anthropology, and eugenics. He held major university and research posts, including leadership of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Heredity, and Eugenics.

Fischer is remembered less for literary or popular work than for his influence on scientific and political thinking about race in Germany. His research and public role have been heavily criticized for helping legitimize racist and eugenic ideas, especially in the first half of the 20th century.

Today, he is studied mainly as a significant and troubling historical figure whose career reveals how science can be used in support of harmful ideology.