Commemoration of the German Society of Gastroenterology
In memory of

Dr. med.
Johann Lewinski
1878 - 1940

Dr. med. Johann Lewinski 1939 © Central Archive for the Research of the History of German Jewry, (Zentralarchiv zur Erforschung der Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland), Heidelberg
Dr. med. Johann Lewinski 1939 © Central Archive for the Research of the History of German Jewry, (Zentralarchiv zur Erforschung der Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland), Heidelberg

Member since 1926

Studies in Breslau and Munich

Loss of approbation 1938, henceforth "Krankenbehandler"

Dissertation, Breslau 1903
Dissertation, Breslau 1903
Johann Lewinski's identity card, Mainz 1939 © Zentralarchiv zur Erforschung der Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland, Heidelberg
Johann Lewinski's identity card, Mainz 1939 © Zentralarchiv zur Erforschung der Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland, Heidelberg

Dr. med. Johann Lewinski

  • Glogau/Głogów, Lower Silesia, Poland, 1‌3‌.‌1‌2‌.‌1‌8‌7‌8‌
  • London, 1‌3‌.‌0‌6‌.‌1‌9‌4‌0‌
  • Member since 1926
  • Escaped to England in 1939
  • Mainz
  • Specialist in gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases in private practice

Johann Lewinski was born in Glogau in 1878 as the son of the lawyer Eduard Lewinski.

 

Education and Places of Work

After attending school in Breslau/Wrocław, Lewinski took up medical studies at the University of Wrocław in April 1898. He moved to Munich for one semester after having taken the preliminary medical exams. He then returned to the University of Wrocław, where he passed the state examination on 30 January 1903 and received his doctorate the same year with the thesis “Beobachtungen über den Gehalt des Blutplasmas an Serumalbumin, Serumglobulin und Fibrinogen”. He had written his thesis under Albert Hürthle in the chemical laboratory of the Institute of Physiology at Wroclaw University. He received his licence to practise medicine the same year.

Dissertation, Breslau 1903
Dissertation, Breslau 1903

Lewinski began his training in internal medicine at the Department of Internal Medicine at the Friedrichshain Municipal Hospital in Berlin. The further stations of his training are as yet unknown.

Lewinski was a specialist in gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases in Mainz. His licence to practise medicine was revoked on 30 September 1938. From this point on, he was only permitted to treat Jewish patients in Mainz as a so-called “Krankenbehandler” (Nazi terminology for a Jewish doctor allowed to treat Jewish patients only). Johann Lewinski still received an “identification card” in Mainz as late as January 1939, which listed his occupation as “Krankenbehandler”.

Johann Lewinski's identity card, Mainz 1939 © Zentralarchiv zur Erforschung der Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland, Heidelberg
Johann Lewinski's identity card, Mainz 1939 © Zentralarchiv zur Erforschung der Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland, Heidelberg

 

Escape to England in 1939

Lewinski fled to England in 1939 and lived in Tunbridge Wells, County of Kent in October 1939. He was exempt from internment as an enemy alien.

Johann Lewinski committed suicide in Westminster, London, where he died on 13 June 1940 at the age of 61.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Zentralarchiv zur Erforschung der Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland (Central archive for the research of the history of Jews in Germany) Heidelberg, for the permission to reprint Dr. Johann Lewinski’s identity card. We are grateful to Dr. F. Teske, Municipal Archive Mainz, for the information provided on 12 May 2021.


Sources and Further Reading
Sources
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Sources/Literature/Weblinks

Biographie of Dr. med. Johann Lewinski

Bibliography

  • Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. Lewinski, J. Dissertation: Beobachtungen über den Gehalt des Blutplasmas an Serumalbumin, Serumglobulin und Fibrinogen. Breslau 1925. BSB, Diss.med 399-88 / 92: 25
  • Reichsmedizinalkalender 1937. Digitale Sammlung der ZB Medizin – Informationszentrum für Lebenswissenschaften. Im Internet: https://digital.zbmed.de/medizingeschichte/periodical/structure/4948689
  • Stadtarchiv Mainz: Auszug aus Mainzer Familienregister Nr. 3753/ 709. Bürgernannahme Akte 1919, Nr. 70/1308. Auswanderungsliste Nr. 602/1939. Auskunft vom 12.05.2021

Literature

  • Forsbach R, Hofer H-G. Internisten in Diktatur und junger Demokratie. Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Innere Medizin 1933-1970. Berlin: Medizinisch Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft 2018: 427
  • Kümmel W. Die Ausschaltung der jüdischen Ärzte in Mainz durch die Nationalsozialisten. In: Dumont F, Kutzer M, Sander S, Thomann K D, Decker K, Eckel B (Hg.) Moguntia medica. Das medizinische Mainz vom Mittelalter bis ins 20. Jahrhundert. Wiesbaden: Wylicil Verlag 2002: 385-397

Weblinks