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28DESIGNER DRUGStwice a day, other addicts may go on meth “binges” or“runs,” taking the drug every 2–3 hours for several dayswithout sleep. Heavy methamphetamine users tend to havepoor hygiene and appear pale, and show a progressiveMETHAMPHETAMINEAND ADOLF HITLERMethamphetamine was widely used by soldiers in World War IIbecause its potent stimulant effects kept them awake and alertfor longer periods of time and increased their physical endurance.One infamous user of methamphetamine during wartime wasone of the most evil men of the twentieth century—Adolf Hitler.Hitler started receiving daily injections of methamphetaminefrom his personal physician Dr. T. Morrell in 1942, and it wasreported he could not function without his daily doses. Hitleralso took many other drugs (perhaps over two dozen), includingCola-Dalmann tablets that contained caffeine. Hitler alsodispensed methamphetamine to his troops so they couldfight for days on end without sleep or food and outlast theendurance of enemy troops.Hitler eventually developed hand tremors and problemscontrolling movement, which he would attempt to hide bycovering one hand with the other, or by placing his hands in hispockets. These symptoms strongly resembled Parkinson’sdisease (see Chapter 7), which many scientists speculate mayhave been caused by brain degeneration brought about byHitler’s methamphetamine use. Other historians, however,speculate that Hitler’s Parkinson’s disease may have beencaused by a virus or by the spirochete that causes syphilis.Hitler’s tremendous paranoia, lack of compassion andjudgment, and violent and aggressive tendencies are oftenattributed to his repeated use of methamphetamine. Thesepersonality changes may have ultimately helped change thecourse of World War II and history itself.