Michael Eisler-Terramare

Born:	01-20-1877
Faculty:	Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category:	Expelled teacher

Michael EISLER-TERRAMARE (born on January 20th, 1877 in Vienna, died on February 10th, 1970 in Vienna) was ao. Prof. for Pathology (general and experimental pathology) at the Medical School of the University of Vienna. He was persecuted in times of Nazism as a Jew, lost his position and was thrown out of the university on April 22nd, 1938. Eisler-Terramare attended the Schottengymnasium secondary school in Vienna. After graduating in 1895, he studied medicine at the University of Vienna.^[1] In the course of his studies he served in the military until 1898, as well as from October 1901 until April 1902,^[2] and obtained his doctorate in July 1901. In September of that same year he began work as a scientific assistant at the medical-chemical and later the pathological-anatomical institute of the University of Vienna. Beginning in 1903, he became an assistant at the state serotherapeutic institute in Vienna^[3] under Richard Paltauf.^[4] He received his venia legendi for general and experimental pathology in 1910.^[5] In 1917 he was made associate professor^[6] and in 1922 he received a permanent associate professorship. Finally, two years later, in 1924, he was named head of the department as well as chief scientist at the state serotherapeutic institute.^[7] On April 22nd, 1938, Eisler was “put on leave, effective immediately”^[8] and - according to his résumé - also lost his position as technical and scientific director at the serotherapeutic institute after the first half year of 1938.^[9] At the end of April 1939 he was sent into retirement on the basis of article 3, paragraph 1 of the career civil servant act.^[10] This means Eisler was considered "Jew" and his wife “Aryan” according to the Nazi race doctrine. Therefor Eisler was prohibited to publish or work scientifically during the Nazi-era. His Aryan wife Margarethe (née Stenzel) died, in the age of only 47, on May 31, 1944 in the General Hospital in Vienna and so he was no more protected by a "privileged marriage" but was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp [Terezín/Czech Republic] in August 1944. The National Socialists took his entire wealth and looted his apartment.^[11] According to a letter from the ministry, his term of imprisonment lasted from August 1st, 1944, until July 1st, 1945.^[12] He survived, returned to Vienna and was reinstated at the university at the beginning of 1946. Immediately after the application by the dean’s office^[13] he was able to return to his position on February 15th.^[14] After permanently retiring at the end of the academic year 1947/48^[15] - at which point Eisler already had turned 70 - he still worked as an honorary professor at the university in 1948/49.^[16] Before that he already had been named substitute examiner for hygiene.^[17] Despite his emeritus status he also continued to be the head of the serotherapeutic institute.^[18] Eisler was internationally recognized as an expert in the fields of serology and serotherapy, which is underlined by over 100 publications in these areas. As long-standing head of the serotherapeutic institute he furthermore can be credited for its modern reorganization.^[19] He was a member of the imperial-royal doctors’ society in Vienna,^[20] honorary member of the Austrian society for microbiology and hygiene as well as bearer of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art First Class,^[21] the Red Cross Decoration First Class and the War Cross Second Class for Civil Services.^[22]

Lit.: Austrian State Archive/AdR, BKA, BBV, VA, PA Eisler-Terramare; Austrian State Archive/AVA, PA Eisler-Terramare; Archive of the University of Vienna/MED PA 100, RA GZ 677 ex 1937/38; MÜHBERGER 1993, 20; CZEIKE Vol. 2 1993; MERINSKY 1980, 42-43; UB MedUni Wien/van Swieten Blog; TEICHL 1951.