Alexander Spitzer

Born:	10-22-1868
Faculty:	Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category:	Expelled teacher

Alexander SPITZER (born on October 22nd, 1868 in Miskolcz, died on January 16th, 1943 in Theresienstadt [Terezín/Czech Republic]) was in 1938 extraordinary emerited professor for Neurology at the Medical School of the University of Vienna.  Alexander Spitzer studied medicine at the University of Vienna (spending one term at the University of Heidelberg) and was graduated 'Dr.med.' on December 10th, 1892 in Vienna. From 1893 to 1901, he initially worked as a trainee at the II. Psychiatric-Neurological University Clinic under Prof. Richard von Krafft-Ebing, 1893-1907 at the Neurological Institute under Prof. H. Obersteiner and 1906-1908 at the Physiological Institute under Prof. S. Exner. From 1915 to 1919 he worked as an assistant to Prof. Julius Tandler at the I. Anatomic Institute.
After his habilitation for Anatomy (1919) he was until 1933 assistant at the Neurological Institute of the University of Vienna under Otto Marburg. In 1924 he was appointed ao. Professor of anatomy and pathology of the nervous system.
Spitzer lived in Vienna 9th district, Zimmermanngasse 1, and was retired in 1933 due to his age. He was persecuted in times of Nazism as a Jew lost his position and was thrown out of the university in 1938. He was deported to Theresienstadt [Terezín/Czech Republic] in 1942, where he died on January 16th, 1943.

Lit.: Exhibition "Bedrohte Intelligenz – Von der Polarisierung und Einschüchterung zur Vertreibung und Vernichtung im NS-Regime", Vienna 2015; UB MedUni Wien/van Swieten Blog; FISCHER Vol. 2 1933; Solomon R. KAGAN, Jewish medicine, Boston 1952; KILLY Vol. 9 1998; Alma KREUTER, Deutschsprachige Neurologen und Psychiater. Ein biographisch-bibliographisches Lexikon von den Vorläufern bis zur Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts, Vol. 3, München u.a. 1996; Kürschners Gelehrtenkalender 1931.

Katharina Kniefacz