News reports claiming Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler had a “tiny deformed penis” are overblown and a “leap” to premature conclusions, according to the author of the book that triggered the renewed attention.

The hype that the German dictator suffered from a “micro-penis” arose from a book published in 2015 called “Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute” by historians Jonathan Mayo and Emma Craigie. 

In the book, they write that Hitler may have had “two forms of genital abnormality: an undescended testicle and a rare condition called penile hypospadias in which the urethra opens on the under side of the penis.”

Recently, this bit of information drew a huge amount of attention. However, it’s a spotlight Ms. Craigie is less than thrilled with: “In an email interview with The Independent, Ms. Craigie urged caution surrounding the reports, saying that any suggestion he had a micro-penis because he potentially suffered from hypospadias was a ‘leap' and that she had not seen any evidence to suggest anything more than general hypospadias,” wrote Caroline Mortimer for The Independent. 

Even the alleged hypospadias is just a possibility – other reports dismiss those claims. For more information, let’s delve into the facts behind the medical condition. 

Penile hypospadias is actually not that rare, with one in 200 boys born with the defect each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For those with hypospadias, the urinary opening is not at the top of the penis, but instead located anywhere from just below it to the scrotum. The most common form is situated near the head of the penis. Some boys may experience one or more of the associated defects, which include an undescended testicle, a curved penis, and problems urinating. 

For most cases, surgery is required to treat the condition. This usually occurs between the ages of three and 18 months old.