Sauerbruch-exhibition at the medical history Museum : half-God tones in grey News

These days, Noethen, the famous surgeon Ferdinand Sauerbruch for millions of Germans a face – that of Ulrich. In season 2 of the "charity"series of the ARD, the actor plays the probably most famous German physician of the 20th century. Century. The man who got the Nobel prize for medicine and physiology, but most of this has been proposed. An innovative, extremely busy surgeon, but also a responsibility, which is the political complexion of the very hard.

The genuine and entire Sauerbruch

at The Berlin medical historical Museum of Charité, an exhibition is dedicated to the "real" Sauerbruch. It's supposed to be, as Museum Director Thomas Schnalke stressed before the opening, in addition, the "whole of the oxygen fraction", the TV series can therefore tell, because she plays only in the years of the war, 43 to 45.
Who, the TV series curious made, comes here to its cost. For the exhibition "On a knife edge. The surgeon Ferdinand Sauerbruch and the relationship between medicine and myth“ (until 2. February 2020) in chronological order on the basis of 285 exhibits a view of his origin, his career, his medical benefits, his personality, and especially his ambivalent political position in the Nazi-time.
are A important source of his Work at this time – for the writers of the series for the exhibition – maker, curator Judith Hahn-the fresh published records of the Alsatian surgeon Adolphe Jung, since 1940, is forced to Sauerbruch's hospital ("Forced. From Alsace to the Charité hospital in Berlin. The records of the surgeon Adolphe Jung 1940-1945“, Schwalbe publishing in 2019.) Thomas Beddies and Susanne Michl from the Institute for the history of medicine and ethics in medicine at the Charité as a publisher of the book on 7. May in the accompanying program to the exhibition to introduce.

multiple personality

"There are several Sauerbruch," says curator faucet. Because of the ambitious and self-confident young physician in Breslau at the beginning of the 20th century. Century invented a (in the exhibition recreated) vacuum chamber, which allowed for the first time, operations in the chest cavity. The same man the disabled but also the progress that he defended his method vigorously against the "competition", the positive pressure ventilation of the modern anesthesia. As a surgeon, he helped the Wounded of the First world war with the "mad brucharm", a construct, to the remaining Stump of a hand prosthesis to move. In his Munich time fractional-operated mad the Kurt-Eisner-assassin Anton Graf von Arco Valley, helped but also the writer and revolutionary Ernst Toller. In 1923, he sent a Junior doctor to Adolf Hitler, should treat, after the failed coup attempt from November, whose dislocated shoulder.
the yet with a doctor's Ethos to justify the assistance, without regard to the Person's requires, so the surgeon showed, in the meantime, the Director of the Surgical clinic of the Charité, since 1933, conflicting attitudes towards the new Regime. With a letter "To the medical Profession of the world" and as one of the main speakers at the presentation of the "commitment of professors at German universities and colleges to Adolf Hitler and the national socialist state" was referred to the 1934, Göring to the Council of state appointed physician Position for the new Regime. In 1937, he was the first to receive the national prize for art and science, distinguished by a national socialist counter-proposal to the Nobel prize. On the other hand, he was against the "New German medicine" of the Nazis clarification.

An anti-Semite, he was, according to émigré colleagues in no case, however, he protested against the dismissal of Jewish employees of the Charité. He was awarded an Advisory surgeon for the Wehrmacht and in 1943 the knight's cross, but was never a party member. He treated opponents of the regime, gave co-conspirators of the 20th century. July opportunity to conspiratorial Meetings. And he took part as one of the few prominent Berlin in 1935 at the funeral of his temporary neighbor, Max Liebermann.

Authoritarian, impulsive, egotistical

An ambivalent personality, an ambiguous attitude. Sauerbruch opponents of the T4 euthanasia project, but contributed as a member of the Reich research Council's responsibility to ensure that funding for research on concentration camp prisoners were approved. "He did not know the projects in Detail. He has not taken care of but also getting to know you, and you can make him a reproach,“ said Karl Max Einhäupl the exhibition. The Charité's Board Chairman, welcomed the exhibition, which is now, almost a year in the medical historical Museum, as a part of the confrontation with the dark portions of the Charité-history. Doctors and students could give a further impetus to ask the question: What would we have done?
Ferdinand, However, had seen Sauerbruch as a part of such a "We"? He was regarded as authoritarian, impulsive, as egotistical and narcissistic. "In the OP, which was tailored to his needs, were sharp words, there was spontaneous layoffs of employees," said Schnalke. And curator Hahn added: "The myth of half-God in White, he has knitted his own lifetime."

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