Bruno Karl Oskar Przibram (Pribram)

Born:	06-11-1887
Faculty:	Philosophical School
Category:	Deprivation of academic degree

Bruno Karl Oskar PRZIBRAM (PRIBRAM) (born on June 11^th, 1887 in Prague/Bohemia [Praha/Czech Republic]), was the son of Prof. Dr. Richard Pribram (1847-1928, chemist, university professor). He had graduated at the Philosophical School at the University of Vienna in Chemistry on July 10^th, 1909 with the academic degree "Dr. phil." (PhD) (dissertation: "Alkoholyse von Proteinen"). Subsequently he studied medicine in Vienna and Berlin and graduated with the academic degree "Dr. med. univ" (MD) in February 20^th 1913 at the University of Vienna. Then he worked at the first medical university hospital and at the surgical university hospital. During World War I he served in the Austrian-Hungarian army with a mobile field surgeons' unit. He was decorated for duties several times, e.g. with the Franz Joseph-medal and with the Iron Cross Second Class. From 1918 to 1924 Bruno Pribram was junior physician ("Assistent") at the surgical hospital of the charite and was promoted lecturer ("Privatdozent") of surgery at the University of Berlin in 1921. He became associate professor ("ausserordentlicher Professor") in 1925. Since 1926 he headed the surgical department of the St. Hildegard-Hospital in Berlin-Charlottenburg. He was a specialist particularly in abdominal surgery. He is regarded as the discoverer of Novoprotin and introduced protein therapy in gastro-intestinal ulcers. After the National Socialists' seizure of power in Germany he was persecuted as a Jew, lost his position and was forced to leave the University of Berlin in November 1933.
Bruno Pribram emigrated to Great Britain in 1938 and later to the USA. Several of his family members became victims of Nazi persecution and extermination, including his cousin, internist Hugo Pribram (1881-1943), who died in the ghetto Theresienstadt [Terezín/Czech Republic].

In times of Nazism he was deprived of his academic degree on July 22^nd, 1943 by the University of Vienna with the racist argument, that he as a Jew was not considered dignified an academic degree of a German university ("eines akademischen Grades einer deutschen Hochschule unwuerdig").  
It took 12 years since the deprivation – and a very long time since the end of Nazism – until the regranting of the doctorate took finally place on May 15^th, 1955. He died in Garmisch-Partenkirchen/Germany on March 13^th, 1962 and is also burried there. His son Dr. Heinz Wolfgang Pribram (b. 1926 in Berlin-Charlottenburg/Germany) lived then in Canada.
Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna, final examination files ("Rigorosenakt") PHIL 2726, graduation registry ("Promotionsprotokoll") PHIL 1905-1913, Nr. 660; graduation registry ("Promotionsprotokoll") MED 1912-1919, Nr. 219; rectorate GZ 118 ex 1941/42, GZ 561 ex 1944/45; FISCHER, Bd. 2, 1933; POSCH 2009, 461; Reichshandbuch der deutschen Gesellschaft. Das Handbuch der Persönlichkeiten in Wort und Bild, Bd. 2, Berlin 1931; VIERHAUS, Vol. 8,  2nd edition 2007, 77; BLUMESBERGER 2002, 1077; wikipedia; information from Dr. Johann Heinrich Kumpf, Berlin 12/2019.

Katharina Kniefacz, Herbert Posch