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Alfred Saxl

Born: 12-12-1877
Faculty: Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category: Expelled teacher

Alfred SAXL (born on December 12th, 1877 in Vienna, died on March 8th, 1962 in Vienna) was private lecturer ("Dozent") in orthopedic surgery at the Medical School of the University of Vienna with the title of associate professor in 1938.

Alfred Saxl, son of Wilfried Saxl (1843-1909) and Louise, née Spitzer (1853-1941), passed the school-leaving examination (Matura) at the Realgymnasium in Vienna's 6th district on July 13th, 1896, and then began to study medicine at the University of Vienna. He received his doctorate (Dr.med.) on March 8th, 1902.

He worked as a secondary and assistant physician at the General Hospital in Vienna and in 1908 became an assistant to Prof. Adolf Lorenz at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Vienna (until 1920). He married Camilla Lindner (1884-1956) in Olomouc/Bohemia in August 1909 and converted from Judaism to the Protestant A.B. confession in October 1909; daughter Hertha/Heather (married Cais) was born in 1914.

During the World War I Alfred Saxl directed, among other things, the k.k. Reserve Hospital for Orthopedic Surgery in Frankstadt/Moravia [Nový Malín/Czech Republic]. On July 10th, 1921, he was habilitated in orthopedic surgery and received the title of associate professor on September 18th, 1937. He was primary physician of the Department of Surgical Tuberculosis at the Vienna Sanatorium Spinnerin am Kreuz in 1920-22 and primary physician at the First Orthopedic Department of the Mariahilfer Ambulatorium and Hospital in 1923-1938.

Alfred Saxl was persecuted under National Socialism for racist reasons, his venia legendi was revoked on April 22, 1938, and he was expelled from the University of Vienna. On October 1st, 1942, he and his wife were deported to the Theresienstadt [Terezín/Czech Republic] ghetto.

Both survived the camp and returned to Austria after liberation in the summer of 1945. On August 29th, 1945, Alfred Saxl was again awarded the venia legendi and the title of associate professor and he worked at the orthopedic ward of the I Surgical University Clinic and also as an honorary member of the Association of Orthopedic Surgeons of Austria.

He died on March 12th, 1962 in Vienna and is buried in an honorary grave at the Protestant Cemetery in Vienna Simmering.


Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") 1896-1902, graduation registry ("Promotionsprotokoll") MED 1903, personnel file MED PA 474, personnel file S 304.1087;  Austrian State Archives OeStA/AdR/E-uReang/VVSt/VA 39794 & 39795, OeStA/AdR/E-uReang/Hilfsfonds/Abgeltungsfonds 612; Municipal and Provincial Archives of Vienna WStLA/1.3.2.119.A41 1497, Bezirk: 6; TEICHL 1951, 490; MERINSKY 1980, 219f.; MÜHLBERGER 1993, 30, 21; BLUMESBERGER 2002, 1181; REITER-ZATLOUKAL/SAUER 2023; honorary grave at the protestant cemetery I; honorary grave at the protestant cemetery IIUB MedUni Wien/van Swieten Blog; www.genteam.at; www.ancestry.de; collections.arolsen-archives.org.


Katharina Kniefacz, Herbert Posch

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