9 People Who Abused Drugs In Nazi Germany

Ranke was an army physiologist. It was thanks in part to his research that Pervitin use became widespread. He wanted to find a way to reduce the amount of sleep a soldier would need and found that Pervitin was more effective and cheaper than coffee.

He would often be asked by officers for more and once gave 2000 tablets to the 10th Panzer division. Not only did he contribute to the popularity of Pervitin, he also became addicted to it. On average he would take two tablets each day. In a letter to a colleague, he wrote: “With Pervitin you can go on working for thirty-six to fifty hours without feeling any noticeable fatigue.” He would often go without sleep, just so that he could keep up with his workload.