Robert Damboritz (Danbury)

Born:	07-14-1914
Faculty:	Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category:	Expelled student

Robert DAMBORITZ (later: DANBURY), born on July 14^th, 1914 in Brno/Moravia, Austro-Hungarian Empire [Brno, Czech Republic] (entitled residency ('heimatberechtigt') for Vienna/Austria, citizenship: Austria). At the end of the first world war, his family moved to the capital, Vienna, where his father Alois Damboritz worked as sales agent and unskilled worker. They lived in Vienna's second district Leopoldstadt, at Springergasse 32/11. After he had graduated from high school (Wien 2, Kleine Sperlgasse 2c) in 1933, he began to study medicine at the University of Vienna from fall term 1933/34 on and got a monthly grant from the Municipality Vienna (Schilling 25,-). He was enrolled finally in the fall term 1937/38 at the Medical School in the 5th and last year of his studies (this was validated on February 2^nd, 1938). He was no more allowed to continue his medical studies, although he already had passed the first of the "final examinations ('Rigorosen') and wa close to finish his studies. A Leaving Certificate ('Abgangszeugnis') was issued on July 19^th, 1938. Luckily, his sister was already living in England: she found an elderly couple who were prepared to vouch for him. Before he left Austria, he worked with Mr Gildemeister, a facilitator for the Kindertransport. Robert finally left Vienna on January 10^th, 1939 on a train bound for Holland with 13 Jewish children. He arrived in England with a couple of shillings in his pocket, a suitcase, and the clothes that he was wearing. During the second world war he was interned on the Isle of Man as an "enemy alien", along with many other Jewish refugees. During and after the war, Robert struggled to bring up a family - he had married his fellow student Lisbeth Reichmann - on very little money. He retrained as an x-ray machine repairman and electrician to support his young family (they had a son, Peter, and a daughter, Elizabeth). He resided in Croydon/South London and received the British citizenship on June 27^th, 1947. In the same year he secured a place at the Royal Free Hospital/South London to read medicine (as the English authorities did not recognise his Viennese medical studies): he was the third man to study there as the medical school had previously only accepted women. He qualified in 1952 and, despite being encouraged to train as a surgeon, became interested in manipulative medicine, which he had learned as a medical student in Vienna. His practice grew swiftly, and he shared premises with John Ebbetts in Wimpole Street and worked on his own in Croydon. He was very proud to count many doctors as his patients. In the 1960s he became a founder member of the British Association of Manipulative Medicine and served on its council. Together with colleagues, he lectured and held workshops and seminars at the Brook Hospital, London. He was a keen and gifted teacher and always delighted in showing colleagues his techniques. In 1994 he finally retired from medicine when aged 80. He was predeceased by his first wife, Lisbeth, whom he met when they were medical students in Vienna; his second wife, Patricia; and his son, Peter. He died on August 6th, 2007 and is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth, and grandsons, Richard and Chris, a consultant intensivist.

Lit.: information of his grandson Prof. Dr. Richard Richard Danbury, Leicester/Cambridge 2012 and 2019; Naturalisation Certificate of Robert Damboritz (Certificate AZ28019 issued 27 June 1947); Obituary from Chris Danbury im British Medical Journal 2008; KNIEFACZ/POSCH 2017b.

Katharina Kniefacz and Herbert Posch