RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: From 1934 to 1945, 350,000-400,000 human beings were sterilised by force in the German Reich. Forced sterilisation was based on the Gesetz zur Verhütung erbkranken Nachwuchses (Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring). The Heil- und Pflegeanstalt (State Hospital) Günzburg was one of the institutions where compulsory sterilisation was practised. METHODS: Data evaluation was based on patient documents and annual reports of the archives of today's district hospital at Günzburg. Patient records were analysed with respect to predefined criteria. The municipal archives of Günzburg provided further historical sources and data. RESULTS: Between 1934 and 1943, 366 patients were sterilised in the Heil- und Pflegeanstalt (State Hospital) Günzburg. Age, sex and diagnosis were found to be criteria relevant for selection of patients for sterilisation. CONCLUSIONS: The study was able to show the active involvement of the Heil- und Pflegeanstalt (State Hospital) Günzburg in the compulsory sterilisation programme.
