Hans Asperger

Hans Asperger
Asperger in the 1940s
Born	Johann Friedrich Karl Asperger (1906-02-18)18 February 1906 Vienna, Austria-Hungary
Died	21 October 1980(1980-10-21) (aged 74) Vienna, Austria
Education	University of Vienna
Known for	Writing on "autistic psychopathy" Eponym of Asperger syndrome
Medical career
Profession	Physician
Institutions	University Children's Hospital, Vienna
Sub-specialties	Pediatrics
Research	Autism

Johann Friedrich Karl Asperger (/ˈæspɜːrɡər/, German: [hans ˈʔaspɛɐ̯ɡɐ]; 18 February 1906 – 21 October 1980^[1]) was an Austrian physician. Noted for his early studies on atypical neurology, specifically in children, he is the namesake of the former autism spectrum disorder Asperger syndrome. He wrote more than 300 publications on psychological disorders that posthumously acquired international renown in the 1980s. His diagnosis of autism, which he termed "autistic psychopathy," garnered controversy. Further controversy arose in the late 2010s over allegations that Asperger referred children to the Am Spiegelgrund children's clinic in Vienna during the Nazi period. The clinic was responsible for murdering hundreds of disabled children deemed to be "unworthy of life" as part of the Third Reich's child euthanasia programs, although the extent of Asperger's knowledge of this fact and his intentions in referring patients to the clinic remain yet to be ascertained.^[2][3]