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@PHDTHESIS{Ohnhuser:1000477,
author = {Ohnhäuser, Tim},
othercontributors = {Groß, Dominik and Möckel, Benjamin},
title = {{V}erfolgungssuizide – {D}ie {S}elbsttötungen im
{K}ontext der nationalsozialistischen {D}eportationen und
das {L}ebensende von {A}rthur {N}icolaier (1862-1942)},
school = {Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen},
type = {Dissertation},
address = {Aachen},
publisher = {RWTH Aachen University},
reportid = {RWTH-2025-00388},
pages = {1 Online-Ressource : Illustrationen},
year = {2024},
note = {Veröffentlicht auf dem Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen
University 2025; Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische
Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2024},
abstract = {Background --- This study examines the suicides of Jewish
individuals persecuted during the National Socialist regime,
with a focus on the period of nationwide deportations
beginning in the fall of 1941. A general analysis of this
phenomenon is complemented by an in-depth examination of a
specific case: Arthur Nicolaier (1862–1942), the
discoverer of the tetanus pathogen, who was persecuted as a
Jewish physician and ultimately slated for deportation to
Theresienstadt. In August 1942, Nicolaier took his own life
to avoid deportation. By adopting this approach, the study
bridges statistical reconstruction and individual life
stories, illuminating the diverse dimensions of suicide
among victims of National Socialist persecution. Persecution
suicides in Germany between 1933 and 1945 are presented as a
distinct historical phenomenon. The work employs both a
chronological division based on predominant threats and an
analysis of specific contexts in which suicides occurred.
The context examined in detail is defined by the
deportations and the role of suicide as an option for escape
and defiance. As deportations began, persecuted individuals
were left with two means of escaping the totalitarian claims
of the Nazi regime over their lives: fleeing underground or
fleeing into death. The study addresses contemporary
perceptions of this issue as well as its prevalence: How
closely were these acts linked to specific deportation
dates, and how did individuals prepare for the possibility
of escaping through suicide? The analysis of motives and
circumstances is based on memoir literature, contemporary
documents, letters, and diary entries. For systematic
analysis of case numbers, which offer insights into dynamics
and other aspects, statistics from the period were
evaluated. Special attention is given to Berlin, drawing on
local police statistics, burial records from the Weißensee
Jewish Cemetery, and records from the Jewish Hospital of
Berlin. To provide a deeper understanding of the events, the
medical profession is examined in detail. Physicians were
uniquely involved in the subject of persecution suicides:
offering confidential advice, procuring means in advance,
treating failed suicide attempts, or certifying death.
Finally, the study addresses the question of how persecution
suicides can be situated within the existing research on
escape and resistance, with a particular focus on the
support networks surrounding Arthur Nicolaier’s final
efforts to secure his survival. Results --- The frequency of
suicides was closely tied to waves of deportation, as shown
by reconstructed, sometimes day-specific, dynamics. In 1942,
referred to as the “year of hell”, suicides peaked. In
August 1942, when Arthur Nicolaier was slated for
deportation, $59\%$ of all suicides in Berlin were committed
by persecuted Jews (who constituted approximately $1\%$ of
the population). Those unwilling to comply with deportation
orders faced a stark choice: flee underground or take their
own lives. Both options required similar preparation and
external assistance. Aggregating cases of evasion, suicides,
and suicide attempts reveals an evasion rate of $12–15\%,$
underscoring the scale of defiance more comprehensively than
fragmented perspectives have previously allowed. For many
persecuted individuals, the possession of sleeping aids such
as Veronal offered a final sense of reassurance,
representing a means of maintaining autonomy. This choice of
method stood out from other suicides in Berlin, emphasizing
the unique nature of persecution suicides during this
period. Although suicides did not fundamentally disrupt the
deportation process, they posed significant complications
for the planned confiscation of property. Alternative legal
constructs and regulations had to be developed to maintain
the semblance of legality in expropriation. As demonstrated,
individuals who escaped through suicide became posthumously
labeled as "disturbers of expropriation". Physicians played
a crucial role during the deportation period by providing
persecuted individuals with medical certificates or even
staging sham surgeries to delay deportations.
Simultaneously, their actions were monitored, and those who
failed to report suicide attempts were punished. The Nazi
authorities, for their part, sought to prevent suicides to
ensure the smooth execution of deportations. Physicians
faced daily ethical dilemmas, balancing acute life-saving
measures against the prevention of further suffering. Arthur
Nicolaier made extensive preparations for his suicide,
particularly to protect his assets from confiscation by the
Nazi state. This is evident from numerous documents,
especially letters to his relative Carola Ebstein
(1891–1973) in Leipzig. However, at the age of 80,
Nicolaier would not have taken his own life without the
immense persecution he faced. His final hopes for avoiding
deportation rested on support from the Schering company and
Wolfgang Heubner (1877–1957), professor for pharmacology
in Berlin. As the study shows, extensive support networks
and connections existed between these two actors, who
frequently provided assistance to those in need. Conclusion
--- This study demonstrates that persecution suicides were
often more than mere acts of desperation: they were
deliberate decisions, comparable to other escape options
such as going underground. Despite the suffering and
despair, these acts could carry elements of agency and
self-determination. The study therefore advocates for a more
integrated treatment of suicide and clandestine escape in
historiographical research, as both forms of defiance and
evasion constitute essential elements of resistance and
self-assertion. The final years of Arthur Nicolaier's life
highlight the importance of examining individual cases: how
actions were shaped by hope and despair, and how persecuted
individuals remained active agents until the very end.},
cin = {524000-2 ; 921910 / 700000},
ddc = {900},
cid = {$I:(DE-82)524000-2_20140620$ / $I:(DE-82)700000_20140620$},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)11},
doi = {10.18154/RWTH-2025-00388},
url = {https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/1000477},
}
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