13. The source of the name K Syndrome remains disputed
The mysterious illness contracted by so many during the German occupation of Rome was called K Syndrome for reasons unknown. It was essentially a codeword used by the hospital to identify the patient whose record was so labeled as a refugee from the Germans, rather than someone who was ill. The designation K could have been a reference to Herbert Kappler, or to the German General Albert Kesselring, who commanded the German military forces confronting the Allies in the Italian campaign at the time. Ossicini believed that Sacerdoti created the code word. Sacerdoti recalled that it appeared with a nod and a wink during the review of an early patient’s record.
Much later, at the age of 96, Ossicini claimed that he had coined the term for the syndrome. In an interview with an Italian newspaper, Ossicini stated, “Syndrome K was put on patient papers to indicate that the sick person wasn’t sick at all, but Jewish…The idea to call it Syndrome K, like Kesselring or Kappler, was mine”. The statement was in conflict with the remembrances of other participants, including those of Dr. Sacerdoti. German inspections of the hospital continued through the end of the occupation of Rome, and several refugees were removed and deported, but the K Syndrome subterfuge saved dozens.