Commemoration of the German Society of Gastroenterology
In memory of

Dr. med.
Ernst Lyon
1890 - 1968

Ernst Lyon and his wife Hilde 1949 in Jerusalem <br> © NS-Dokumentationszentrum N 468, 1, City of Cologne
Ernst Lyon and his wife Hilde 1949 in Jerusalem
© NS-Dokumentationszentrum N 468, 1, City of Cologne

Member since 1926

Studies in Berlin, Heidelberg, Freiburg, and Bonn

Successfully set up a practice in Palestine/Israel after having fled

Dissertation, Bonn 1915
Dissertation, Bonn 1915

Dr. med. Ernst Lyon

  • Cologne, 1‌9‌.‌0‌8‌.‌1‌8‌9‌0‌
  • Jerusalem, 1‌9‌.‌0‌1‌.‌1‌9‌6‌8‌
  • Member since 1926
  • Escaped to Palestine in 1935
  • Cologne
  • Specialist in internal medicine in private practice

Ernst Lyon was born in Cologne in 1890 as the son of the merchant Gustav Lyon and his wife Franziska “Fanny”, née Feith. In the curriculum vitae of his dissertation he states: “I am a Prussian citizen and a Jew”. Ernst Lyon had been a staunch supporter of Zionism since his youth.

 

Education and Places of Work

Lyon attended the Royal Catholic Apostelgymnasium in Cologne from Easter 1900 and passed his school-leaving examination in 1909. He then went on to study medicine at the universities of Berlin, Heidelberg, Freiburg, and Bonn. He passed the state examination in Bonn in May 1914 and received his licence to practise medicine on 4 August of the same year. He received his doctorate from the University of Bonn in 1915 with the thesis “Ueber einen Fall von Zylinderzellencarcinom der Schilddrüse bei Basedowscher Krankheit”. He worked as a medical trainee with Paul Friedrich Richter at the I. Medical Clinic of the Friedrichshain Municipal Hospital in Berlin.

Dissertation, Bonn 1915
Dissertation, Bonn 1915

He actively participated in the First World War as a member of the medical service.

Lyon had been an intern at the department of internal medicine at the Jewish Hospital in Cologne under Dr. Benjamin Auerbach since 1918. He settled in Cologne as a specialist in internal medicine following his training.

 

Escape to Palestine in 1935 

Ernst Lyon fled to Palestine together with his wife and two sons after giving up his practice at Mozartstrasse 11 in Cologne in 1935. In Jerusalem, Lyon quickly obtained a licence to practise medicine in his own practice. He continued to publish. He became a naturalised Palestinian (British Passport Palestine) in 1938. He was awarded the title of professor in Israel.

Ernst Lyon died in Jerusalem on 10 January 1968 at the age of 77. His mother was able to flee to the USA in 1938, his sister Erna Katz, née Lyon, also fled to the USA.

Publications

  1. Ist das Pneumoperitoneum ein Fortschritt in der Behandlung der Peritonitis tuberculosa exsudativa. Arch Verdauungskr 1927; 40: 120-139
  2. Sozialmedizinische Grundlagen der Zuckerkrankheit. Basel: Verlag von S. Karger, 1932
  3. Leukämie und Wirbelsäule. Acta Radiologica 1936; 17: 506-510
  4. Chronic venous congestion of the liver and diabetes mellitus. Gastroenterologia 1945; 70: 338-346 
  5. Gallbladder disease, chronic relapsing pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus. Gastroenterologia 1953; 79: 282-293

Sources and Further Reading
Sources
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Sources/Literature/Weblinks

Biographie of Dr. med. Ernst Lyon

Bibliography

  • NS Dokumentationszentrum der Stadt Köln, NS-Dok N 468,1 und NS-Dok 86
  • Zentralbibliothek für Medizin Köln. Lyon E. Dissertation: Ueber einen Fall von Zylinderzellencarcinom der Schilddrüse bei Basedowscher Krankheit. Bonn 1915. Dok. Nr. 497108

Literature

  • Becker-Jákli B. Das jüdische Krankenhaus in Köln: Die Geschichte des israelitischen Asyls für Kranke und Altersschwache 1869-1945. Schriften des NS-Dokumentationszentrums der Stadt Köln. Köln: Emons Verlag; 2004 260,394,468
  • Forsbach R, Hofer H-G. Internisten in Diktatur und junger Demokratie. Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Innere Medizin 1933-1970. Berlin: Medizinisch Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft 2018: 429

Weblinks