Florian Steger: Kinder als Patienten der Heil- und Pflegeanstalt Kaufbeuren-Irsee. Die „Kinderfachabteilung“ in den Jahren 1941–1945
In the research of the history of medicine there has been little regard to children as patients. In this paper my focus is especially on children who were put in the „Kinderfachabteilung“ (Children Special Department) of the Bavarian State Hospital of Kaufbeuren-Irsee. This is one of three „Kinderfachabteilungen“ (Children Special Departments) in Bavaria and one of about thirty in the „Deutsches Reich“. During the period of National Socialism these children were (de)classified as „lebensunwertes Leben“ (life of not worth living) and as such were admitted to these units. They became victims of the systematically conducted child euthanasia. There has been the attempt to eliminate them as silent as possible. In the beginning I will concentrate on the development of the institutional history of the children’s medical care in Kaufbeuren-Irsee. It will be presented the care of children from beginning to end (1940–1966). An analysis of the historical sources, a survey of children’s patient records give deep insights into the children’s fates. The emphasis will be on the „Kinderfachabteilung“ (Children Special Department) Kaufbeuren-Irsee in which 221 children died from 1941 to 1945.