Treatments of the past : medical memories and experiences in Postwar East Germany
This dissertation explores continuities and discontinuities in the transition of medical personnel from war to postwar and the subsequent persistence of cultural, medical, and social concepts of diseases in East Germany after 1945. The cities of Dresden and Leipzig constitute a particular focus of the work. Consequently, the analytical tool of 'medical memories and experiences' investigates how the past influenced postwar medical and social treatment of patients, and potentially affected the future career and private life of medical personnel in the new state. Firstly, the thesis aims to demonstrate how doctors were able to negotiate and mitigate their past involvement in the Third Reich with local and state authorities, not least due to the health crisis in postwar East Germany. Secondly, it argues that the continuity of health officials and doctors from the war into the postwar period had a direct impact on the medical and social experience of patients with venereal diseases. Thirdly, the study also illustrates how East German authorities medicalised any 'deviant behaviour' of the 'war youth' and often confined adolescents in social and medical institutions for re-socialisation. Finally, this dissertation
Wahl, Markus
Treatments of the past : medical memories and experiences in Postwar East Germany. This dissertation explores continuities and discontinuities in the transition of medical personnel from war to postwar and the subsequent persistence of cultural, medical, and social concepts of diseases in East Germany after 1945. The cities of Dresden and Leipzig constitute a particular focus of the work. Consequently, the analytical tool of 'medical memories and experiences' investigates how the past influenced postwar medical and social treatment of patients, and potentially affected the future career and private life of medical personnel in the new state. Firstly, the thesis aims to demonstrate how doctors were able to negotiate and mitigate their past involvement in the Third Reich with local and state authorities, not least due to the health crisis in postwar East Germany. Secondly, it argues that the continuity of health officials and doctors from the war into the postwar period had a direct impact on the medical and social experience of patients with venereal diseases. Thirdly, the study also illustrates how East German authorities medicalised any 'deviant behaviour' of the 'war youth' and often confined adolescents in social and medical institutions for re-socialisation. Finally, this dissertation
past medical memory experience postwar east germany explore continuity_discontinuity transition medical personnel war postwar subsequent persistence cultural medical social concept diseases east germany city constitute particular_focus work consequently analytical_tool medical memory experience investigates past influenced postwar medical social treatment patient potentially affected future career private_life medical personnel new state firstly aim doctor able negotiate mitigate past involvement third_reich local state authority least due health crisis postwar east germany secondly_argue continuity health official doctor war postwar period direct impact medical social_experience patient disease thirdly study also_illustrate east german authority deviant behaviour war youth often confine adolescent social medical institution socialisation finally