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Ernst Jawetz

Born: 06-09-1916
Faculty: Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category: Expelled student
Ernst JAWETZ, born on June 9th, 1916 in Vienna/Austria (entitled residency ('heimatberechtigt') for Korolówka/Poland, Citizenship: Poland), lived in Vienna 4th district, Favoritenstraße 18/9, was enrolled finally in the spring term 1938 at the Medical School in the 4th year of his studies (Leaving Certificate ('Abgangszeugnis') was issued on July 13th, 1938). His fellow student Ilse KAULBACH (1915-2012), later a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in San Francisco, helped him to emigrate to the US and they married in New York and moved to San Francisco, but the marriage was later divorced and he remarried on October 29th, 1954 Mary Jean Morse (four children: Katherine, Steven, Michael and Ann). Ernst Jawetz was able to continue his studies in the US and studied at the Universities of New Hampshire (MSc 1940) and Massachusetts and acquired in 1942 a "PhD" in Microbiology at the University of California. In 1943-46 he served in the US Army and in 1945 at Stanford University finally completed his medical studies with an "MD". In 1945-46, he was "Intern" at Stanford Lane Hospital, San Francisco, 1946-48 Senior Assistant surgeon at the United States Public Health Service. 1948-1984 he was part of the faculty of the University California Medical Center, San Francisco, initially "assistant and associate professor", 1953-1987 professor of microbiology and medicine, 1962-78 board of the Microbiology Department. 1952 and 1958 Almroth Wright lecturer, London / England and 1952 also McArthur lecturer, Edinburgh / Scotland, 1962 guest lecturer at the University of London, 1977 visiting professor at the University of Shiraz, Iran. He was author of several standard works such as u.a. "Medical Microbiology" (according to Joseph L. Melnick, 21 editions, translated into 13 languages). His research interests included i.a. Clinical bacteriology, antibiotics, chemotherapy, infectious diseases, virology. In 1979, he received the School of Medicine Alumni Association's Distinguished Teaching Award. In 1984 he retired and in the following year a library was named after him. Dr. Jawetz was a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the American Society of Microbiology, the Society of Experimental Biology & Medicine, the American Association of Immunology and the American Academy of Microbiological Research. He died on February 23rd, 2001 in Mill Valley, Marin County, California.


Lit.: POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 411; information from Niko Hofinger and Keith Kinsbrook, 2015, obituary Ilse K. Wheeler in the San Francisco Chronicle, February 12, 2012Nachlassverzeichnis an der UCSFprabook.


Herbert Posch


Nationale of Ernst Jawetz, spring termn 1938 (1st form front), Photo: H. Posch (c) Universitätsarchiv Wien

Nationale of Ernst Jawetz, spring termn 1938 (1st form back), Photo: H. Posch (c) Universitätsarchiv Wien

Nationale of Ernst Jawetz, fall term 1937/38 (1st form front), Photo: H. Posch (c) Universitätsarchiv Wien

Nationale of Ernst Jawetz, fall term 1937/38 (1st form back), Photo: H. Posch (c) Universitätsarchiv Wien
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