"Jüdisch versippt" and "materialistic": The marginalization of Walther E. Berblinger (1882-1966) in the Third Reich

The pathologist Walther Berblinger (1882-1966) became famous for his scientific studies on internal secretion, namely on the pathology of the pituitary and the pineal gland. The results of his research on the hormonal control of the reproductive system contributed significantly to the consolidation of the young discipline of endocrinology. His later pioneering work on the use of chemotherapeutics in tuberculosis was similarly important. Despite his "Aryan" ancestry, Berblinger was targeted by the National Socialists and forced to emigrate to Switzerland due to the pressure of political events - a fact that has only been partially investigated by researchers to date. Accordingly, this essay focuses on Berblinger's professional exclusion and on the implications and consequences associated with it. It also examines why Berblinger decided not to return to Germany after 1945. Primary documents from the University Archives Jena and the Main State Archives Weimar served as the central source for this study; they were supplemented and compared with the research literature available to date on Walther Berblinger and on the history of pathology and medicine under National Socialism. The study documents that Berblinger - unlike his Jewish colleagues - was initially able to continue his career in the Third Reich almost without restriction, but was dismissed from service when he refused to separate from his Jewish wife in 1937. Subsequently, the National Socialists' victimization of Berlinger even reached him in Swiss exile. Notwithstanding the hostile treatment and harassment from Germany, Berblinger succeeded in continuing his scientific career in Switzerland. After 1945, he decided against remigration - not least because negative experiences with German authorities made led him doubt the rule of law in post-war Germany. It was not until the last phase of his life that Berblinger was "rediscovered" by his homeland, as is shown by a series of late honors.