Bernhard Grüneberg

Bernhard Grüneberg (born March 12, 1861 in Schloppe ; † August 30, 1935 in Altona ) was a German doctor . For 45 years, from 1888 to 1933, he headed the Altona Children's Hospital .

Former main entrance of the Altona Children's Hospital

biography

Grüneberg's life path led him from West Prussia , Saxony and Lower Franconia to the Prussian Altona. In Altona, Grüneberg headed the children's hospital there for more than four decades.

West Prussia

Slap

Grüneberg came from a Jewish merchant family . He grew up as the youngest of five children in Schloppe, West Prussia. When Grüneberg was five years old, his parents died.

German crown

After the death of his parents, Grüneberg was taken in by his uncle who lived in Deutsch-Krone and owned a clothing store. In Deutsch-Krone, Grüneberg attended school; temporarily interrupted by the start of an apprenticeship in his uncle's shop. In 1880 he passed the Abitur .

Saxony

Freiberg

After graduation, Grüneberg began studying mining at the Bergakademie Freiberg . He finished his studies in Freiberg without a degree.

Lower Franconia

Wurzburg

At the University of Würzburg enrolled to Grünberg after giving up his engineering studies for a degree in medicine . In 1885 he was granted his license to practice medicine in Würzburg . A year earlier, in 1884, he had received his doctorate .

Prussia

Altona

There is evidence that Grüneberg was already living in Altona in 1886. In 1887 at the latest, he worked as an assistant doctor at the General Municipal Hospital . He held this position until 1888. In 1888 he undertook as a ship's doctor , a trip to South America . At the end of 1888, Grüneberg was given the medical management of the children's hospital. Grüneberg initially worked on a voluntary basis . 45 years later, in December 1933, Grüneberg stopped working for the children's hospital. He was dismissed by the National Socialists because of his Jewish origins. After his release, Grüneberg tried to continue working in general medicine in his apartment. Bernhard Grüneberg died in Altona in 1935.

Social medical and charitable commitment

Grüneberg was involved in social medicine and charities . In 1890 he began holding hands-free hours for poor, sick children. The free treatment of needy children took place for decades. In addition, Grüneberg belonged to the Altona Child Protection and Youth Welfare Association . The association took care of abused and neglected children. In 1920 he looked after more than 1,400 children. The association received funding from the city of Altona. Grüneberg was also on the board of the Association for Holiday Colonies from 1882 in Altona for at least two and a half decades . The association made it possible for poor children from unhealthy living conditions to stay in rest homes. Around 550 children took up this offer every year.

Memberships

In 1889, Grüneberg joined the Altona Medical Association .

He was also a member of the Central Association of German Citizens of the Jewish Faith .

family

In 1895 , Grüneberg married Clara Traube from Cassel . Like himself, she came from a Jewish merchant family. In 1896 their son Walter was born, the Grünebergs' first child. Walter died in 1905. Before that, Franz had been born, the second son of Bernhard and Clara Grüneberg. In 1906 daughter Kate was born. Like his father, Franz Grüneberg became a doctor and Käte Grüneberg became a medical-technical assistant . Franz and Käte Grüneberg emigrated to the USA in 1938 . Clara Grüneberg died twelve years before her husband.

Honors

In 1950, the Grünebergstraße in Altona was named after Bernhard Grüneberg.

literature

• Rolf Triebel: The German-Jewish medical family Grüneberg and the Altona Children's Hospital 1861–2003. A biographical search for traces , vol. 24 of the series Hamburgische Lebensbilder of the Association for Hamburg History , Wallstein Verlag , Göttingen 2018.

Web links

• Anna von Villiez: Persecuted and forgotten trailblazers in their field: Jewish paediatricians 1933 to 1945 in Hamburg , accessed on October 4, 2018.
• Michael Bentfeld: First highly valued professionally, then politically sidelined , accessed on October 4, 2018.