[The role of the "Heil- und Pflegeanstalt" (state hospital) Günzburg in the context of the "Aktion-T4"].

Background: In the context of the national socialist "Aktion-T4" approximately 70,000 people with mental illness and mental handicap in Germany were killed. The "Heil- und Pflegeanstalt" (mental hospital) Günzburg was a so-called Bavarian "Sammelanstalt" during this period.
Methods: The data evaluation is based on patient documents and annual reports of the archives of today's district hospital Günzburg and patient documents of content R 179 of the branch office of the federal archives in Berlin / Lichterfelde. Patient records were analysed with respect to the presence of ten variables considered relevant for selection.
Results: Between January 1940 and August 1941 394 patients from Günzburg were displaced to killing facilities of "Aktion-T4" and killed. Age, diagnosis, hospitalisation-time, ability to work, social behavior of the patients and Jewish origin were found to be criteria relevant for selection.
Conclusions: This study was able to show the participation of the Günzburg mental hospital in the implementation of "Aktion-T4". However, only few sources regarding the attitudes and actions of hospital medical staff were identified. This question remains the subject of further historical research.