Minna Popken

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Minna Popken (born August 29, 1866 in Bremen , † August 13, 1939 in Zurich ) was a German doctor . She became known through her work in the Kurhaus Ländli in Switzerland , which she founded, where she combined medical and pastoral care.

Life

Childhood and youth

Minna Popken, b. Engelbrecht, was born on August 29, 1866 in the Hanseatic city of Bremen as the oldest of five siblings. Her father ran a glass factory in which she helped. Even as a child, she developed the habit of kneeling under her blanket and pouring out her heart to God.

In her youth she heard Lessing's saying in a lecture :

“If God kept all truth in his right hand and the only ever active urge for truth in his left hand, although with the addition of always and eternally erring me, closed and said to me: choose! I fell in his left hand with humility and said: Father give! the pure truth is only for you! "

- Gotthold Ephraim Lessing : About the truth

This quote aroused her disagreement, so she decided to seek the truth until she found it.

Marriage and study

On September 11, 1886, she married Heinrich Popken, who was 13 years her senior. Their first child died after a year and their second at birth. Thereafter an illness led to infertility. At the age of 25, she fell into a crisis from which she only slowly recovered.

In addition to the religious, she also dealt with idealistic and socialist ideas. With the support of her husband, she began studying medicine in Zurich in November 1898 , as this was not yet possible for women in Germany at that time. Here she came into contact with theosophy and spiritualism in her search for truth .

The growing estrangement between her and her husband eventually led to their divorce in 1899.

In 1903 she finished her studies and traveled to Berlin to attend further courses with well-known professors to deepen her knowledge. She was the only woman in these courses and did not feel that she was recognized as equal, as in Zurich. She wrote a memorandum on the reform of obstetrics, which she never published because a professor announced that she would oppose her plans. In order to be able to practice as a resident doctor in Germany, she would have had to take various exams. Since she was already 36 years old, the effort involved seemed too great. So she decided to travel back to Switzerland.

During the winter she withdrew to the town of Biberegg in order to prepare for the future of her life in silence with prayer, reading the Bible and the writings of the Christian mystic Madame Guyon . According to her own admission, Madame Guyon was her guide at that time until the Apostle Paul later became her teacher and guide. The preacher Otto Stockmayer later warned her not to get too involved with the mystics.

Rothaus

On March 4, 1904, she moved into the Rothaus on the Ägerisee . Here she lived under very simple circumstances and took patients (mainly women) in for a cure, which she treated with Kneipp pours , massages and a healthy diet. But it was more important to her to help the patients with pastoral care . So she began to read the Bible with the patients and to interpret it. She did not use any Bible commentaries except occasionally the Berleburg Bible . She turned down all attractive job offers from other doctors to take on tasks in large clinics, because she saw herself being guided differently by God. Although she did not advertise herself, more and more patients came to the remote place, so she had to accommodate them in private accommodation in the village. So the plan matured in her to found a larger sanatorium. When she made this plan known to her friends, she immediately received substantial financial support. She visited various health resorts in Germany in order to gain knowledge of the modern health resort.

Ländli

In March 1908 she signed the purchase contract for the Ländli property. On January 8, 1911, the “Kuranstalt Ländli” opened. Here she continued her medical and pastoral work on a larger scale. As the head of the sanatorium, she was not only burdened by worrying about the sick, but also by the ongoing difficult economic situation, as well as hostility from Christian circles because of her unusual working methods. So she finally leased the "Ländli" in 1924 to the "Schweizerischen Diakonieverband Mannenbach", which bought the house three years later.

Retirement

Minna Popken rented a farmhouse in Schönenberg in the canton of Zurich , into which she moved on May 5, 1926. Here, too, she took in those seeking relaxation, but did not continue her medical work, but limited herself to holding Bible studies . In addition, she began traveling extensively to hold Bible studies or spiritual lectures in other places. In 1929 she bought the house she had rented and founded the "Stiftung Abendsonne". Here she also wrote her autobiography, the first volume of which was published in 1938, “In the Struggle for the World of Light”. On the night of September 12, 1938, the house burned down by arson. Her Bibles and the manuscript for the 2nd volume of her autobiography that had been started were saved. She was able to complete this volume “Under the Victory Light” in the following year and saw the first edition appear before she died on August 13, 1939.

Treatment methods

From studying the Bible, Minna Popken came to the conclusion that man formed a unity of spirit, soul and body. That is why her treatment was always about the whole person and not just about physical healing. Biblical instruction and pastoral care were a focus of their work, even if no one was obliged to be present during the biblical exposition. It was her concern to lead people to personal faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior. If it seemed helpful to her, she also used the new findings of psychology and psychotherapy at the time in order to make the patient aware of and correct subconscious bad attitudes.

For the body she prescribed water applications , sun, fresh air, exercise, dietary nutrition and massages. As occupational therapy , she also used the patients under the simple circumstances for household chores (for example fetching water from a well), without taking any differences in class into account.

Writing activity

Her main work consists of the two volumes of her autobiography, which appeared under the heading About Truth and Reality . She also gives deep insights into her inner career, which ranges from a truth seeker to a believing Christian and finally to a doctor working on behalf of God and in the service of her neighbor. In the second volume, Under the Triumphant Light , she also writes in detail about various diseases, especially mental disorders, as well as about her treatment methods.

Works

  • In the struggle for the world of light: Memories and confessions of a doctor. 6th edition, Furche Verlag, Berlin 1952; 1st volume of her autobiography (new edition published by Severus Verlag, Hamburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-942382-39-7 )
  • Under the triumphant light: life memories and testimonies. Furche Verlag, Berlin 1939; 2nd volume of her autobiography

literature

  • Hans Bruns: Minna Popken - A doctor under Christ. Volume 55/56 of the collection "Witnesses of the Living God" digitized

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Popken: In the fight for the world of light 1952, p. 26
  2. ↑ Popken: In the fight for the world of light 1952, p. 38
  3. ↑ Popken: In the fight for the world of light 1952, p. 60ff
  4. ↑ Popken: In the fight for the world of light 1952, p. 155
  5. ↑ Popken: In the fight for the world of light 1952, p. 185
  6. ↑ Popken: In the fight for the world of light 1952, p. 226
  7. ↑ Popken: In the fight for the world of light 1952, p. 242
  8. ↑ Popken: In the fight for the world of light 1952, p. 247
  9. ↑ Popken: In the fight for the world of light 1952, p. 260
  10. ↑ Popken: Under the winning light 1939 p. 250
  11. ^ Popken: Under the winning light 1939 p. 276
  12. ^ Popken: Under the winning light 1939 p. 366
  13. ↑ Popken: In the fight for the world of light 1952, p. 264 (afterword by the publisher)
  14. ↑ Popken: In the fight for the world of light 1952, p. 238
  15. ↑ Popken: Under the winning light 1939 p. 91ff
  16. ↑ Popken: In the fight for the world of light 1952, p. 237
personal data
SURNAME Popken, Minna
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Popken, Minna (real name); Engelbrecht, Minna (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German doctor and pastor working in Switzerland
DATE OF BIRTH August 29, 1866
PLACE OF BIRTH Bremen , Germany
DATE OF DEATH August 13, 1939
Place of death Zurich , Switzerland