Hans (John) Duschinsky (Denham)

Born:	01-10-1916
Faculty:	Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category:	Expelled student

Hans DUSCHINSKY (later: John DENHAM), born on January 10^th, 1916 in Vienna/Austria (entitled residency ('heimatberechtigt') for Vienna/Austria, Citizenship: Austria), son of Rudolf Duschinsky (dentist, 1883-1942) and Helene (1889-1942), lived in Viennas' 14^th district, Mariahilfer Straße 223, was enrolled finally in the spring term 1938 at the Medical School in the 4^th year of his studies (spring term 1938 was validated on October 5^th, 1938). In the spring term 1938 he was first allowed to continue his studies as one of a few in the context of the Numerus clausus of Jewish Students but then was not allowed to finish his studies for racist reason and was forced to leave the university.
His twin brother Kurt Duschinsky, who studied at the Medical School, too, was also expelled from the University of Vienna.
Their parents, dentist Rudolf Duschinsky (b. April 25^th, 1883) und Helena Duschinsky (b. April 2^nd, 1889) were deported from Vienna to Litzmannstadt [Łódz] in Poland on October 15^th, 1941, where Helena was murdered on April 16^th 1942. Her husband Rudolf was deported further on to death camp Kulmhof [Chełmno] and was murdered there on May 10^th, 1942.
Hans Duschinsky was forced to flee from Austria after the Anschluss. A first attempt to emigrate to the USA in December 1938 did not work out but he succeeded to get a passport and a visa to emigrate to the United Kingdom in 1939, together with his brother. They arrived on August 11^th, 1939 in Dover. Shortly after the outbreak of World War II they were interned in a camp for "enemy aliens" near Brecon, Wales. Fortunately Dorothy Keane from Brecon helped these "aliens" to learn English. Shortly after Hans and Dorothy became firm friends, and got married a year later on June 29^th, 1940. Hans Duschinsky was able to enlist in the British Army and joined the British Expeditionary Force in February 6^th, 1940. This Force attempted to stop the German Wehrmacht in Belgium and France. Unfortunately this became a disastrous defeat and Hans Duschinsky found himself escaping with his life in a French fishing boat in Dunkirk that ferried him to safety in Dover! He then served in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), first in West Africa and later in Burma, and reached the rank of Sergeant working mainly in pathology laboratories. He was demobilized on January 28^th, 1946 and after the war he continued his studies at the Welsh National School of Medicine in Cardiff, qualifying in 1949, became a naturalised Briton and took the name John DENHAM in 1950. He gained the DPM (Lond.) in 1951, the MD (Lond.) in 1953 and was elected a Foundation Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 1971. He entered psychiatry soon after qualifying and held junior posts at Middlewood Hospital, Sheffield; King's College Hospital; the Maudsley Hospital and Whitchurch Hospital. Cardiff, before being appointed Consultant Psychiatrist to Long Grove Hospital, Epsom, in 1958.
In that capacity he was responsible for clinics at Hackney Hospital and at St Clement's Hospital. Bow, of which he became the Medical Director in 1963. Subsequently the psychiatric services at St Clement's were amalgamated with those at The London Hospital (Whitechapel), to which he was appointed Consultant Psychiatrist. Although his early interests were in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, later in his career his foremost interest became the rehabilitation of the psychiatric patient, and at Long Grove he established an Industrial Rehabilitation Unit.
Besides his papers on psychotropic drugs, his numerous publications include works on rehabilitation and community care.
In 1960 he became a Foundation Member of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, an organization in which he took great pride and in which he was active, particularly in the East End, until his death. John Denham, born Hans Duschinsky, died following an accident on 17 February 1985, aged 68.

Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/MED enrollment forms ("Nationale") 1937-1938, Rectorate GZ 722-I ex 1937/38; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 376; information from his grand-niece Sophie Appleby-Taylor, 2018; obituary in Bulletin of the Royal College of Psychiatrists June 9th, 1985, p. 127; Przełożony Starszeństwa Żydow w Getcie Łódzkim [German: Der Aelteste der Juden vom Litzmannstadt-Getto; English: The Eldest of the Jews in the Łódź Ghetto, 1939–1944]. Series RG-15.083M, Reel 203. Record Group 15: Poland. USHMM|The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington D.C.; information from his son Jim Denham, Australia, 06/2019, 06/2020.

Herbert Posch