Eric Martin (medical doctor)

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Eric Martin (born August 13, 1900 in Cologny ; † January 6, 1980 in Geneva ) was a Swiss doctor and scientist. From 1936 to 1970 he was director of the Polyclinic at the University of Geneva . In addition, he was temporarily rector of the university and dean of the medical faculty. While working at the university, he began to get involved in the Swiss Red Cross (SRK). From 1973 to 1976 he was President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Life

Eric Martin

Eric Martin was born in 1900 in Cologny in the canton of Geneva as the son of a notary . He attended school in Geneva and then studied medicine in Geneva , Strasbourg , Paris and Vienna , completing his studies with a doctorate. med. from. In 1929 he set up his own practice in Geneva, but then decided to work as a scientist.

He became a professor at the Medical Faculty of the University of Geneva and worked there as an internist . During his scientific career, he published around 300 publications on diabetes mellitus , rheumatism , geriatrics and social medicine topics. Between 1936 and 1970 he was head of the polyclinic at the University of Geneva. From 1956 to 1958 and from 1965 to 1966 he was also the dean of the medical faculty. From 1960 to 1962 he was the rector of the university.

In addition to his work at the university, he was also active in the Swiss Red Cross, among other things as President of the Geneva Section and later as a member of the Central Committee of the SRC. For the SRC he took part in the International Red Cross Conference in Stockholm in 1948.

Eric Martin was married to Gisèle Martin, b. Morsier. He died in Geneva in 1980.

ICRC presidency

In July 1973, Eric Martin succeeded Marcel Naville as President of the International Committee of the Red Cross . The meeting of the committee made an unusual decision in electing Naville's successor, electing Eric Martin as president but also appointing Roger Gallopin as president of the assembly council. In the de facto double presidency that was created in this way, Eric Martin had more representative tasks, while Roger Gallopin exercised the decision-making authority for most areas.

Martin’s presidency focused on peace work by the Red Cross and the fight against torture . During his tenure, the Tansley Report, named after the Canadian development aid expert Donald Tansley , was published in 1975. This report, prepared by an international group of independent experts led by Tansley, critically examined the activities of the ICRC and the League of Red Cross Societies . It contained recommendations for the future development of the cooperation between the two organizations and between the ICRC and the national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Eric Martin called the report a "pitiless inquisition" . Many of the proposals in the Tansley Report were implemented by the ICRC in the following years, albeit with a considerable delay.

Eric Martin resigned from the office of ICRC president in 1976 due to age reasons. In addition to the term of office of his predecessor Marcel Naville, his presidency is seen in the history of the committee as a time without any outstanding events or successes, his work remained largely without lasting influence on the further activities of the committee. Alexandre Hay was elected to succeed him.

literature

  • Caroline Moorehead : Dunant's dream: War, Switzerland and the history of the Red Cross. HarperCollins, London 1998, ISBN 0-00-255141-1 (hardcover); HarperCollins, London 1999, ISBN 0-00-638883-3 (paperback edition)
  • David P. Forsythe: The Humanitarians. The International Committee of the Red Cross. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2005, ISBN 0-52-161281-0

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