In a recent letter to the American Journal of Psychiatry, Strous, Opler & Opler reflect on the lesser known, but critical role that Eugene Kraeplin played in fostering the rise of "scientific racism" in Germany.

Kraeplin's mentorship of Robert Gaupp (1870–1953), Paul Nitsche (1876?1948), and Ernst Rüdin (1874–1952)  - all of whom  would later go on to lead the Third Reich's euthanasia programs in psychiatry - resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of patients. Kraeplin's own racist and anti-semitic ideas can be noted throughout his writings. While he died in 1926, before the rise of the Nazi party, students and historians of psychiatry should be aware of his statements prior to his death, e.g. "“the preponderant influence of the Jewish spirit on German science, as is unfortunately wielded ever more intensely, appeared to me to be a serious danger.” Coupled with the actions of his proteges it is high time for a critical re-evaluation of his role.

While Kraeplin's work in experimental psychology and the phenomenology of schizophrenia are what he is generally remembered for, Strous and colleagues are precisely correct when they reject any claim that he might have to being "the forefather of a field dedicated to the ethical caring and management of long-suffering individuals".