29th May 1938
5th Apothekertag

Nazi views on public health developed within the context of German cultural traditions and medical science in the early 20th century. Many of the regime's public health priorities—such as eugenics, group exercise, and warnings against alcohol and tobacco—were first popularised during the years of the Weimar Republic. For example, in the 1930 film, 'Born out of Necessity', young Germans are urged to fight the negative health effects of life in modern cities by exercising together and engaging in wholesome social activities instead of drinking and smoking. These themes were later reflected in public health policies after the Nazi rise to power in 1933.

Nazi public health officials adopted many of these traditions and ideas, but the Nazi regime’s public health policies were concerned solely with promoting the health of so-called 'Aryan' Germans. According to Nazi ideology, every member of the so-called 'Volksgemeinschaft' (German racial community) was like a single cell in the larger national body. Each individual had a duty to stay healthy and strong so that the German nation could conquer other peoples and colonise their lands. These theories about individual health and national strength were influential throughout Europe and the United States in the early 20th century. However, Nazi Germany's policies were much more extreme than those of any other nation.

Source and for more information: https://perspectives.ushmm.org/collection/public-health-under-the-third-reich

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