One of the distinguishing factors of the period of National Socialism is a certain idealisation of labour, which tended to posit health and labour fitness in equivalent terms. Performance medicine in the Third Reich accordingly advanced to be one of the main pillars of health — as well as supporting both social and labour structures — in the Nazi regime. The integration of traditional fields of occupational medicine primarily within the concept of a German people’s body (Volkskörper), along with the purposing of performance medicine within the growing demands of militarisation, was constantly driven by the health leadership. This publication will examine the reaction to this development by E.W. Baader, a leading specialist in occupational medicine. The historical evaluation of his role in National Socialism must consider Baader’s ties with the Nazi Party, his scientific achievements, and his relationships to Jewish colleagues subject to persecution.
