Wilhelm Holczabek

Wilhelm HOLCZABEK, born on May 8^th, 1918 in Vienna/Austria (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, citizenship 1938: Austria), son of Wilhelm Karl Holczabek (senior official ["Amtsrat"], 1881-1965) and Rosa Holczabek, née Sühs (1894-1973), lived in Vienna's 3^rd district, Landstrasser Guertel 35. He graduated from high school in 1936 and began studying medicine at the University of Vienna in the fall term of 1936/37. He was last enrolled in spring term 1938 at the Medical School in the 2^nd year of his studies.

He was considered a "Mischling 1^st degree" and was able to continue his studies provisionally - subject to revocation at any time. In September 1939 he was drafted into the Deutsche Wehrmacht, from which he was discharged in 1940 for racial reasons. After successfully completing all courses (leaving certificate dated July 15^th, 1941) and despite passing all examinations in June 1942, he was not allowed to earn a doctorate during the Nazi era. From August to October 1942 he worked for Deutsche Lufthansa AG, December 1942 to the end of July 1943 he was employed as a surgical assistant at the Auersperg Sanatorium (Vienna's 8^th district, Auerspergstrasse 9) and then as a demonstrator and scientific assistant at the Institute of Forensic Medicine and briefly at the I University Medical Clinic under Ernst Lauda.

Only immediately after the end of Nazi rule was he able to earn his doctorate on June 8^th, 1945, with his diploma backdated to June 5^th, 1942, the date on which he had fulfilled all doctoral requirements except for proof of pure Aryan racial affiliation.

He subsequently returned to the Institute of Forensic Medicine and was able to habilitate as a forensic pathologist in 1952, becoming an associate professor in 1965. In 1973 he became full professor and director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine until his retirement in 1989. Holczabek was dean of the Medical School from 1981-1984 and rector of the University of Vienna from 1985-1989. He made his mark as a champion for the Campus Altes AKH, and his tenure included the donation of the 100,000m² Old General Hospital site from the City of Vienna to the University for the construction of the campus and to house humanities and cultural studies institutes of the then School of Humanities.

Holczabek was also president of the Gesellschaft der Aerzte in Wien (Society of Physicians in Vienna) for a decade and also president of the International Academy of Forensic and Social Medicine. Holczabek rendered great service to the Viennese public health system and medical science and was an important representative of the Austrian school of forensic medicine, and dealt scientifically with such topics as fat embolisms, heart disease, and legal issues in medicine, and improved the detection of carbon monoxide (for example, after poisoning) in blood and tissue samples from corpses.

He was a recipient of the Billroth Medal, the Golden Decoration of Honor of the Vienna Medical Association, the Great Silver Decoration of Honor (1989), the Prize of the City of Vienna for Medicine (1996), and Honorary Senator of the University of Vienna (1990), and was a board member (president) of the University Association Alma Mater Rudolphina.

He died on July 17^th, 2001 in Vienna .

Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") MED 1936-1942, MED graduation registry M 33.14 (1942-1949), No. 1238; Georg BAUER, Gerichtsmedizin. Festschrift für Wilhelm Holczabek Vienna 1988; 650plus History of the University of Vienna.

Herbert Posch