Toward Historical Accountability and Remembrance: The German Society for Internal Medicine and Its Legacies From the...

After decades of silence, the German Society for Internal Medicine (DGIM) has made considerable efforts to come to terms with its role and actions during the Nazi era (1933 to 1945). This is particularly important because, with more than 27 000 members, the DGIM is the largest medical society in present-day Germany. Since 1882, the society's annual congress in Wiesbaden has provided a forum and focus for the key medical topics of the day. Based on ongoing historical research, this article is organized in 2 parts. The first describes how the DGIM willingly adapted to the ideology and politics of the Nazi regime, showing no solidarity with its persecuted Jewish members. To illustrate their fates, the cases of Leopold Lichtwitz, who was forced to resign as elected chairman in 1933, and committee member Julius Bauer are investigated. Both men emigrated to the United States. Light is also shed on the decisions of those who led the society during the Nazi era and on the involvement of high-ranking members in medical crimes. The second part of the article analyzes developments in the postwar period and considers why it took so long to hold up a mirror to the past. Although critical voices could be heard from both outside and within the society, they remained isolated and without consequence. Only the past 2 decades have brought about both general and specific developments toward historical accountability and an active culture of remembrance. With a declaration first published in 2015, a new website bringing history and memory together, and a strong commitment to the norms and values of liberal democracy, the DGIM has found its way to a clear position-and has lessons to teach.