Biomaterial Database

[Erwin H. Ackerknecht and the Berg/Rath Affair in 1964. On the coping of German medical historians with their history]. 1997

C Morgeli, and A Jobmann

In 1964, the Zurich medical historian Erwin H. Ackerknect announced his decision to resign from the German Society of Medical History, Natural Science and Technology (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Geschichte der Medizin, Naturwissenschaft und Technik - DGGMNT) in a letter to 150 colleagues and prominent personalities in scientific, academic and political circles. Ackerknecht explained that he was resigning from the Society because the medical faculty of the University of Gottingen, supported by its professor of medical history, Gernot Rath - also chairman of the DGGMNT - had awarded the Venia legendi medical history chair to the x-ray specialist and medical historian Alexander Berg. Berg was ideologically compromised by his co-authorship of a book that embraced the ideals of National Socialism and in which he was mentioned as a Obersturmfuhrer of SS. Apart from describing the events surrounding Berg's promotion to the teaching position, this article presents Ackerknecht's perspective on the situation, the continuing influence of further Nazi era's leading historians of medicine the war - enabling Berg to assume his position - as well as the DGGMNT's controversial reactions to Ackerknecht's resignation and the consequences that the affair was to have for the Society.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D011056	Political Systems	The units based on political theory and chosen by countries under which their governmental power is organized and administered to their citizens.	Political System,System, Political,Systems, Political
D005178	Faculty	TEACHING and administrative staff having academic rank in a post-secondary educational institution.	University Professor,Professor, University,Professors, University,University Professors
D005180	Faculty, Medical	Teaching and administrative staff having academic rank in a medical school.	Faculties, Medical,Medical Faculties,Medical Faculty
D005858	Germany	A country in central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark. The capital is Berlin.
D006663	Historiography	The writing of history; the principles, theory, and history of historical writing; the product of historical writing. (Webster, 3d ed)	Historiographies
D012952	Societies	Organizations composed of members with common interests and whose professions may be similar.	Organizations, Professional,Professional Organizations,Organization, Professional,Professional Organization
D014495	Universities	Educational institutions providing facilities for teaching and research and authorized to grant academic degrees.	University
D014857	Warfare	Methods of conducting ARMED CONFLICTS.
D049673	History, 20th Century	Time period from 1901 through 2000 of the common era.	20th Century History,20th Cent. History (Medicine),20th Cent. History of Medicine,20th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 20th Century,History of Medicine, 20th Cent.,History, Twentieth Century,Medical History, 20th Cent.,Medicine, 20th Cent.,20th Cent. Histories (Medicine),20th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 20th (Medicine),Cent. History, 20th (Medicine),Century Histories, 20th,Century Histories, Twentieth,Century History, 20th,Century History, Twentieth,Histories, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 20th Century,Histories, Twentieth Century,History, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Twentieth Century Histories,Twentieth Century History