Margarethe Huebsch

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Margarethe Hübsch (born June 19, 1903 ; † August 30, 1983 ) was an Austrian senior physician and deputy primary care physician in the Vienna municipal mental hospital for children on the Spiegelgrund and involved in child euthanasia .

Life

Hübsch was a specialist in neurology and psychiatry. From 1940 to 1945 she was a member of the NSDAP ( membership number 9,017,341) and the National Socialist Women's Association . Until December 31, 1940, she headed the Vienna mental hospital “ Maria Theresienschlössel ” as acting primary physician . On January 1, 1941, she was transferred to the “Am Spiegelgrund” institution as a senior physician. At the same time she was the clinic's deputy primary and represented the euthanasia doctor Erwin Jekelius , who was drafted into the Wehrmacht at the beginning of January 1942 , in all matters ; Hans Bertha took over the management of the department until April 1942 . From May to the end of June 1942, Hübsch managed the children's clinic “Am Spiegelgrund” on an interim basis, until Ernst Illing took over the management on July 1st . After she had been employed in the children's department under Illing for a few more weeks, she was transferred to the main health department of the city of Vienna.

On November 5, 1945, the Vienna Regional Court for Criminal Matters filed an application to arrest Margarethe Hübsch and to initiate a preliminary investigation against her on suspicion of murder. During their interrogations, Hübsch claimed that "never had anything to do with the killing of children". The exoneration witness named by her, the nurse Anna Katschenka , did not confirm this, however, but stated that Hübsch, as the deputy of the prison director Jekelius, had been thoroughly informed about the killings ("accelerated death"). Katschenka also emphasized in her statements that Hübsch always appeared with the original party badge and always greeted with " Heil Hitler ".

From July 15 to 18, 1946, the specialist in nervous and mental illnesses Ernst Illing and the two doctors Marianne Türk and Margarethe Hübsch stood before the Vienna People's Court in the so-called 1st Steinhof Trial. In the main hearing, Katschenka stated that Hübsch had not issued any orders to kill children, and she also tried to exonerate Illing and Türk. On the basis of further testimony, however, it seemed plausible to the court that Hübsch must have known about the killings, but that this was not yet absolute proof of their participation in the acts of killing. This led to the fact that Huebsch, unlike the other two defendants, was acquitted and released.

As a result, she was suspended from service in the municipality of Vienna, but was able to continue working as a doctor in her own practice. The Federal President awarded her the professional title of " Medical Councilor ". She also did not want to forego her title of “Primary”, although she had only performed this function for a short time; She also had this affixed to her tombstone in the Meidling cemetery .

literature

  • Gerhard Fürstler, Peter Malina: "I was only doing my job ": On the history of nursing in Austria. Facultas Verlag, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-85076-619-5 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Punishment of euthanasia crimes .
  2. ↑ Steinhof Memorial: newspaper report on the pronouncement of the verdict in the People's Court trial against Ernst Illing, Marianne Türk and Margarethe Hübsch (Neues Österreich, July 19, 1946)
  3. ↑ Fürstler & Malina, 2004, p. 325.
personal data
SURNAME Pretty, Margarethe
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian specialist in psychiatry, neurology and euthanasia participant
DATE OF BIRTH June 19, 1903
DATE OF DEATH August 30, 1983