Abstract
Czech’s claims that my paper abounds with mistranslations, misrepresentations, and factual errors are refuted point-by-point, as is his declaration that the paper contains no relevant or new evidence. Asperger’s statements that Franz Hamburger saved him from the Gestapo are reaffirmed and supported with a personal communication from Asperger’s daughter, Dr. Maria Asperger Felder. Czech’s criticism of anonymous peer reviewers and his call for retraction of my paper are, at best, unconstructive. In light of the current resurgence of authoritarian governments that promote xenophobic and racist ideology in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere, it is essential that details about the Nazi euthanasia program continue to be recalled and deliberated, as they are in this exchange. I stand by my paper.
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Notes
Dr. Elga Wulfert, whose first language in German, kindly provided advice about my translation of Asperger’s 1938 article. I introduced the error when I did a last-minute check of the sentence in question after she had read and commented on the full translation.
Dr. Asperger Felder accompanied her personal communication with a statement notarized on May 17, 2019, which provides details about the five children’s recollections.
This endnote is mislabeled as 37 in Czech’s text.
References
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Acknowledgments
Dr. Ruth Pauli (Vienna, Austria), and Barbara H. Weber Yoffee and Dr. Norman Yoffee (Santa Fe, New Mexico) kindly shared their thoughts about how to translate “Am ehestend käme der ‘Spiegelgrund’ in Frage.” Ernst Tatzer, MD (Hinterbrühl, Austria) offered helpful comments on an earlier draft of this reply. I am grateful to Maria Asperger Felder, MD (Zürich, Switzerland) for providing information about her family’s recollections regarding Franz Hamburger’s role in protecting her father (Hans Asperger) from the Gestapo. Franz Waldhauser, MD (Vienna, Austria) provided publications, documents, discussion, and feedback about the various topics considered in this reply, which I deeply appreciate. The opinions expressed in this reply are solely those of the author.
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Falk, D. More on Asperger’s Career: A Reply to Czech. J Autism Dev Disord 49, 3877–3882 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04099-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04099-6