ge. At the age of 15, he was diagnosed with osteomyelitus, an infection in bone marrow due to a bacterial or fungal infection, which can produce enough pus to form an abscess that blocks the flow of blood to the marrow. Osteomyelitus in some cases has been known to cripple a person. Discouraged by his mother's strict Catholic upbringing, Mengele grew cynical about the Church and strayed more from it, as he grew older. He remained involved in the good of the community, despite his contempt for the Church, joining both the Red Cross and a local patriotic youth group. Along with his punctuality and charisma, Mengele grew handsome as he matured into a young adult. He began to take pride in his appearance, adding his good looks to the other traits that portrayed him as suave and charming. In 1930, Josef graduated from the Gymnasium, with descent grades and the ambition to pursue his favorite subjects, anthropology and genetics. He believed that his family would be proud to have a scientist in the family, the first Mengele scientist. Unfortunately, his father had other plans for the eldest son of the family, plans of running the family business that had given them so much wealth. Leaving behind his confining parents and upbringing, Mengele moved to Munich, where his grades won him acceptance into the University of Munich to study philosophy and medicine. Munich at that time was transforming itself from the capitol of Bavaria into the capitol of Anti-Semitism. Adolf Hitler and his racist propaganda circulated throughout the city, creating an army of supporters, young and old. As Hitler spoke of the Jewish vermin and Aryan nationalism, Mengele listened, indifferent to the words he heard. On September 14, 1930, as Mengele began his academic journey at the University of Munich, the National Socialist Party claimed 18 percent of the votes in the Reichstag election, making them the second largest party in the German parliament. The 6...
