Arthur Jakob [später: Arthur Jack] Leser [später: Lesser]

Born:	03-09-1908
Faculty:	Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category:	Expelled teacher

Arthur Jakob LESER [later: Arthur Jack LESSER] (born on March 9^th, 1908 in market Naról, Galicia/Austro-Hungarian Empire [Poland] as son of Benjamin W. Leser and Rosalie Leser, née Federbusch) was in 1938 assistant physician with salary at the 1^st surgical university-clinic (head: Prof. Egon Ranzi) at the Medical School of the University of Vienna. He had studied at the University of Vienna and graduated there ("Dr. med. univ."). From 1933 he was employed as an assistant physician ("Hilfsarzt", category B) at the department of pathological anatomy, and on July 1^st, 1934 he was appointed as an assistant physician with a stipend at the 1^st surgical university-clinic, where he worked until his dismissal in 1938. From 1936 he also worked in his own surgical practice in Vienna's 8^th district, Langegasse 36. After the "Anschluss" in March he was persecuted in times of Nazism for racist reason as a Jew, lost his position in April 1938 - he was replaced by NS-follower Dr. Richard Grill - and was forced to leave the university. He had to flee from Austria and could get a grant from the University of Edinburgh in 1938/39 and then amigrated to the USA. He had to flee from Vienna and was able to leave for Great Britain as early as April 13^th, 1938. He worked as a research assistant at the University of Edinburgh in 1938/39 and was then able to emigrate to the USA.
He lived and worked as a physician in Hollywood, changing his name from "Arthur Jakob Leser" to "Arthur Jack Lesser" upon naturalization. He attained the rank of major in the U.S. Army Reserve and was an assistant professor at the University of Southern California from 1942-1951, a surgeon at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles from 1942, at City of Hope Hospital in Los Angeles from 1943, at Harbor General Hospital in Los Angeles from 1946, and on the staff of Temple Hospital in Los Angeles from 1949.
In the U.S. he married his wife, Lily, and together they had two sons, Ronald and Raymond.

He was a member of numerous medical associations and published in many scientific journals.
Arthur Jack Lesser, né Arthur Jakob Leser, died on October 16^th, 1974 in Los Angeles/USA.

Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/graduation registry ("Promotionsprotokoll") MED M 33.14, register and file of final examination ("Rigorosenprotokoll") MED, rectorate GZ 680/I ex 1937/38, rectorate GZ 680/II ex 1937/38, rectorate GZ 730 ex 1937/38; information from Dr. Barbara Sauer, Vienna 09/2018; GOLD 1966, 147; BLUMESBERGER 2002, 816-817; REITER-ZATLOUKAL/SAUER 2022; www.genteam.at.

Herbert Posch