Gertrude Stiasny (verh. Weil)

Gertrude STIASNY, born on November 5^th, 1912 in Vienna/Austro-Hungarian Empire [Austria] (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, citizenship 1938: Austria), daughter of Dr. Eugen Stiasny (military, major medical corps), lived in Vienna's 3^rd district, Kegelgasse 30, studied medicine and was  enrolled in the spring term of 1938 at the Medical School in the 4^th year of her studies.

After the Anschluss in 1938, she was persecuted for racist reasons as a so-called "Mischling 1. Grades", but was able to continue her studies for the time being - subject to revocation at any time.

Gertrude Stiasny, who had married Rudolf Weil in 1939, was now called Gertrude Weil and lived in Vienna's 1^st district, Parkring 4. When “Mischlinge” had to submit an application to the Reich Ministry of Education (REM) Berlin for admission to studies or for graduation from the first trimester of 1940, she submitted an application on November 27^th, 1940 to complete her studies and be admitted to doctoral studies. Her application and the REM's current decisions overlapped at the time, but Dean Eduard Pernkopf nevertheless forwarded the application to the REM on November 29, 1940, explaining that she had "already received the Absolutorium (end of the 1939 spring term) passed the second medical viva and taken four partial examinations of the third medical viva in accordance with the Austrian viva regulations" by the time the last directives concerning the study of mixed-race students were announced. The application was resubmitted to the REM via the curator in Vienna on December 10^th, 1940 and inquired about again on January 15^th, 1941.

The REM did not make a fundamental decision until September 19^th, 1942 (WA 2059 WF): without proof of certification as a doctor (which was generally not issued to "first-degree Mischling"), the doctorate could not be completed and no doctoral diploma could be issued. "However, in order to make it easier for the aforementioned to obtain suitable employment in industry, I authorize the faculty to issue a certificate stating that, apart from proof of German-blooded descent, they have fulfilled all the requirements for the award of the doctoral degree. It must be expressly noted on the certificate that it does not count as a doctoral diploma."
This confirmation was issued to Gertrude Weil on October 20^th, 1942, but not a doctoral degree.

Only after the end of National Socialism was she awarded a doctorate in the first post-war doctorate on June 8, 1945 - retroactively as of October 18^th, 1940 - in accordance with the old and now reintroduced Austrian study regulations for "Dr.med. univ." from the University of Vienna.

She later lived and worked as a doctor in Vienna, received her specialist license as a neurologist and psychiatrist on April 1^st, 1947, and ordained in Vienna and Klosterneuburg, also as a school doctor until 1977. Widowed since 1970, she retired in 1981.

Dr. Gertrude Weil, née Stiassny, died on August 15^th, 2002, in Vienna and is buried at the cemetery in Vienna-Dornbach.

Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") MED 1937-1939; graduation registry ("Promotionsprotokoll") MED 1941-1949 Nr. 1268; MED GZ 10 ex 1941, MED GZ 1115 ex 1939/40; RA GZ 944 ex 1939/40/41, RA GZ 97/I ex 1942/43, Austrian State Archives OeStA/AdR/02-Unterricht/Kurator d. wiss. Hochsch. Wien (K. 13)/GZ 5201 ex 1940-1943; Municipal and Provincial Archives of Vienna WSLA/Ärztekarteikarten; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 484f.; REITER-ZATLOUKAL/SAUER 2025; find a grave in Vienna; information by courtesy of Dr. Barbara Sauer, Vienna 04/2025.

Herbert Posch