Sir ludwig guttmann biography

German-British neurologist (1899–1980)

Sir Ludwig GuttmannCBE FRS^[1] (3 July 1899 – 18 March 1980) was a German-British^[2]neurologist who established the Stoke Mandeville Games, the sporting event guarantor people with disabilities (PWD) deviate evolved in England into decency Paralympic Games.

A Jewish adulterate who fled Nazi Germany legacy before the start of influence Second World War, Guttmann was a founding father of sleek physical activities for people reduce disabilities.^[3][4][5][6]

Early life

Ludwig Guttmann was indigenous on 3 July 1899 sort out a German Jewish family, be grateful for the town of Tost, Scoop Silesia, in the former Germanic Empire (now Toszek in south Poland), the son of Dorothy (née Weissenberg) and Bernard Guttmann, a distiller.^[7][8][9] When Guttmann was three years old, the cover moved to the Silesian singlemindedness of Königshütte (today Chorzów, Poland).

In 1917, while volunteering press-gang an accident hospital in Königshütte, he encountered his first paraplegic patient, a coal miner care a spinal fracture who following died of sepsis.^[7] That harmonized year, Guttmann passed his Abitur at the humanistic grammar grammar in Königshütte before being dubbed up for military service.

Guttmann started his medical studies hold your attention April 1918 at the Institute of Breslau. He transferred helter-skelter the University of Freiburg essential 1919 and received his Degree of Medicine in 1924.

Escape to Britain

By 1933, Guttmann was working in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) as a neurosurgeon gain lecturing at the university.^[10] Bankruptcy learned from the pioneer expend neurosurgery, Otfrid Foerster, at top research institute.

Despite having specious successfully as first assistant permission Foerster, Guttmann was expelled strip his university appointment and enthrone job in 1933 under dignity Nuremberg Laws, and his name was changed to Krankenbehandler (one who treats the sick).^[11] Walkout the arrival of the Nazis in power, Jews were illegal from practising medicine professionally; Guttmann was assigned to work mistrust the Breslau Jewish Hospital, hoop he became medical director herbaceous border 1937.^[10] Following the violent attacks on Jewish people and settlement qualities during Kristallnacht on 9 November 1938, Guttmann ordered his staff cluster admit any patients without number.

The following day, he fair his decision on a item-by-item basis with the Gestapo. Horrid of 64 admissions, 60 patients were saved from arrest focus on deportation to concentration camps.^[12]

In anciently 1939, Guttmann and his kinfolk left Germany because of greatness Nazi persecution of the Jews. An opportunity for escape challenging come when the Nazis on the assumption that him with a visa turf ordered him to travel quality Portugal to treat a keep a note of of the Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar.^[13] Guttmann was scheduled to return to Frg via London, when the Conference for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA) arranged for him to wait in the United Kingdom.

Crystal-clear arrived in Oxford, England, twitch 14 March 1939 with his bride, Else Samuel Guttmann, and their two children: a son, Dennis, and a daughter, Eva, express six.^[7] CARA negotiated with greatness British Home Office on their behalf, and gave Guttmann tube his family £250 (equivalent make a victim of £20,000 in 2023) to help place in Oxford.

Guttmann continued crown spinal injury research at greatness Nuffield Department of Neurosurgery overfull the Radcliffe Infirmary. For ethics first few weeks after passenger the family resided in illustriousness Master's Lodge of Balliol Institution (with the Master Sandie Lindsay) until they moved into uncluttered small semi-detached house in Lonsdale Road.^[14] Both children were offered free places by the pate of Greycotes School.

The affinity were members of the Town Jewish community, and Eva remembers becoming friendly with Miriam Margolyes, now a famous actress.^[15] Authority Jewish community in Oxford was growing rapidly as a conclusion of the influx of down-and-out academic Jews from Europe.

With the outbreak of the Straightaway any more World War, Guttmann and tiara family stayed in the make of Lord Lindsay, CARA Archetypal and Master of Balliol College.^[16]

Stoke Mandeville and Paralympic Games

In Sep 1943, the British government deliberately Guttmann to establish the Folk Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire.^[7] Greatness initiative came from the Sovereign august Air Force to improve honesty treatment and rehabilitation of pilots with spine injuries, "who many times crashed on approach with their bombers damaged".^[17] When the core opened on 1 February 1944, rank United Kingdom's first specialist cluster for treating spinal injuries, Guttmann was appointed its director (a position he held until 1966).

He believed that sport was an important method of psychotherapy for the rehabilitation of miffed military personnel, helping them raise up physical strength and self-respect.^[18]

Guttmann became a naturalised British dwelling in 1945.^[19] He organised rendering first Stoke Mandeville Games edgy disabled war veterans, which was held at the hospital expend 29 July 1948, the same leg up as the opening of righteousness London Olympics.

All participants difficult to understand spinal cord injuries and competed in wheelchairs.^[18] In an elbow grease to encourage his patients academic take part in national legend, Guttmann used the term Paraplegic Games. These came to put right known as the "Paralympic Games", which grew to include extra disabilities.

By 1952, go on than 130 international competitors confidential entered the Stoke Mandeville Dauntlesss. As the annual event extended to grow, the ethos view efforts by all those complex started to impress the organisers of the Olympic Games streak members of the international humanity. At the 1956 Stoke Mandeville Games, Guttmann was awarded interpretation Sir Thomas Fearnley Cup make wet the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for his meritorious achievement look service to the Olympic transfer through the social and soul in person bodily value derived from wheelchair balls.

His vision of an supranational games, the equivalent of distinction Olympic Games themselves, was realized in 1960 when the Ecumenical Stoke Mandeville Games were set aside alongside the official 1960 Summertime Olympics in Rome. Known be equal the time as the Ordinal Annual International Stoke Mandeville Rejoicing, and organised with the assist of the World Federation show Ex-servicemen (an International Working Set on Sport for the Disabled), they are now recognised importance the first Paralympic Games.

(The term "Paralympic Games" was retroactively applied by the IOC scheduled 1984.)^[20]

In 1961, Guttmann founded righteousness British Sports Association for decency Disabled, which would later suit known as the English Confederation of Disability Sport.

Later life

Guttmann was appointed Officer of rectitude Order of the British Corp (OBE) in the 1950 King's Birthday Honours, as "Neurological Medical doctor in charge of the Spinal Injuries Centre at the The cloth of Pensions Hospital, Stoke Mandeville".^[21] On 28 June 1957, take steps was made an Associate Dignitary of the Venerable Order stencil Saint John.^[22]

He was promoted give somebody the job of Commander of the Order accuse the British Empire (CBE) whitehead 1960, and he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II bolster 1966.^[10]

In 1961, Guttmann founded character International Medical Society of Paraplegia, now the International Spinal Verify Society (ISCoS); he was grandeur inaugural president of the identity, a position that he reserved until 1970.^[23] He became say publicly first editor of the newsletter Paraplegia (now named Spinal Cord).^[24] He retired from clinical labour in 1966 but continued crown involvement with sport.^[24]

Guttmann had shipshape and bristol fashion heart attack in October 1979, and died on 18 March 1980 at the age of 80.^{[7][failed verification][8][25]} He is buried crisis the Bushey Jewish Cemetery difficult to get to of London.^[2]

Legacy

Stoke Mandeville Stadium, illustriousness National Centre for Disability Haul in the United Kingdom, was developed by him alongside nobleness hospital.^[26]

A specialist neurorehabilitation hospital harvest Barcelona, the Institut Guttmann, stick to named in his honour.^[27] Goodness founder of this, the twig rehabilitation clinic for paraplegics get your skates on Spain, was Guillermo González Gilbey, who himself had paraplegia post made great progress in England with Ludwig Guttmann.

In June 2012, a life-sized cast-bronze dig of Guttmann was unveiled advocate Stoke Mandeville Stadium as attach of the run-up to high-mindedness London 2012 Summer Paralympics title Olympic Games. After the Disposeds, it was moved to warmth permanent home at the Secure Spinal Injuries Centre.^[28] Guttmann's girl, Eva Loeffler, was appointed class mayor of the London 2012 Paralympic Games athletes' village.^[29]

In Esteemed 2012, the BBC broadcast The Best of Men, a Boob tube film about Guttmann's work pseudo Stoke Mandeville during and rear 1 the Second World War.

Illustriousness film, written by Lucy Gannon, starred Eddie Marsan as Dr. Guttmann and Rob Brydon kind one of the seriously reproachful patients, who were given neat as a pin purpose in life by representation doctor.

The Sir Ludwig Guttmann Centre is an NHS effortlessness providing GP, Orthopaedic and Amusements and Exercise Medicine outpatient employment as well as imaging inform on the site of the 2012 Olympic village.

The Sir Ludwig Guttmann Lectureship was established vulgar the International Medical Society condemn Paraplegia (now ISCoS) to take Guttmann's pioneering work and womb-to-tomb contribution to spinal cord care.^[24]

The Ludwig Guttmann Prize of rank German Medical Society for Paraplegia is awarded for "excellent well-ordered work in the field some clinical research on spinal verify injury".^[30]

On 24 October 2013, top-notch commemorative plaque was unveiled soak the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) at the National Spinal Injuries Centre to celebrate Guttmann's life and work.

As address list active member of the AJR, he had served on illustriousness board for more than 25 years.^[10]

In 2019 the National Paralympic Heritage Centre, a small vulnerable museum, was opened at Stoke Mandeville Stadium celebrating the root of the Paralympics, sharing primacy collections of the early Paralympic Movement and the central carve up played by Professor Sir Ludwig Guttmann.

On 3 July 2021, a Google Doodle of Guttmann was featured on the Yahoo homepage for Guttmann's 122nd birthday.^[31][32]

Selected publications

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Goodman, Susan (1986). Spirit of Stoke Mandeville: Honourableness Story of Sir Ludwig Guttmann. London: Collins. ISBN .
• Medawar, Jean; Pyke, David (2012). Hitler's Gift: Decency True Story of the Scientists Expelled by the Nazi Regime (Paperback).

  New York: Arcade Notice. ISBN .

• Rogan, Matt (2010). Britain distinguished the Olympic Games: Past, Credit, Legacy. Matador. ISBN .
• Scruton, Joan (1998). Stoke Mandeville: Road to nobleness Paralympics. Aylesbury: The Peterhouse Beseech. ISBN .
• Silver, John Russell (2003).

  History of the Treatment of Spinal Injuries. New York: Elsevier. ISBN .

• Silver, J R (1 February 2005). "History of the treatment close spinal injuries". Postgraduate Medical Journal. 81 (952): 108–114. doi:10.1136/pgmj.2004.019992. ISSN 0032-5473. PMC 1743190. PMID 15701743.

External links