Wolfgang Wieser

Born:	06-13-1887
Faculty:	Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category:	Expelled teacher

Wolfgang WIESER (born on June 13^th, 1887 in Prag-Bubna, died on February 22^nd, 1945 in Vienna) was lecturer ('Dozent') for radiology at the Medical School of the University of Vienna.
He was persecuted in times of Nazism because of his political orientation lost his position and was thrown out of the university on April 22^nd, 1938.

Wieser, the son of a university professor and former minister of trade, attended secondary school in Prague and Vienna and in 1905 began studying medicine at the University of Vienna, where he obtained his medical doctorate in 1911. During his studies he joined the 1st Anatomical Chair as a demonstrator (1908-10), where he subsequently worked as an assistant from 1910 until 1913. ^[1] Following this, he completed a radiological internship at the Central Radiology Institute of the imperial-royal General Hospital in Vienna under Holzknecht and worked as an assistant at the 1st Women’s Clinic in Berlin. In 1914 Wieser was drafted into the First World War.^[2] Earlier he had already served at the imperial-royal Landesschützenregiment (riflemen’s regiment) No.II in 1909 and at the imperial-royal Marodenhaus (invalid house) No.1 in Vienna in 1913/14 (here mainly in radiology) for half a year each. From 1914 until 1916 he did surgical and radiological work in the field and then became surgical chief physician and head of the radiological institute of the imperial-royal Erzherzog-Rainer military hospital. Here he became head of the X-ray department in July 1919 and in March 1920 moved on to the Rudolfinerhaus in the same position.^[3] Due to severe damage from X-rays, he was forced to retire in 1924. He was, however, able to habilitate for medical radiology at the University of Vienna in 1932 and began teaching as a private lecturer. Politically, Wieser supported the Heimwehr-movement, and held important functions during Austro-Fascism: He was a member of the advisory council of the Vaterländische Front (“Fatherland’s Front”), the state council (from November 1st, 1934, until March 12th, 1938) and the domestic committee. At the same time, he was ideologically German-National and sympathized with National Socialism, which also could be seen in his close relationship with Edmund Glaise-Horstenau. From February 1934 until February 1935 Wieser was deputy head of the Austrian War Victims’ Association and then returned to the Viennese hospital system during the authoritarian corporative state. In 1935 he became provisional and in 1936 regular chairman of the X-ray institute of the General Hospital Vienna (AKH). He declined a call to Istanbul.^[4] Meanwhile, his appointment to the AKH already ended before the “Anschluss”. This was a result of conflicts with Leopold Arzt, which - according to Enderle-Burcel - revolved around political issues, but also the question whether radiology was considered an ancillary discipline or an independent subject.^[5] Wieser threatened to resign in October 1937, but the ministry for social affairs declared his dismissal shortly afterwards. Wieser now, however, resigned himself.^[6] During the Nazi era he called this resignation an important step “to prevent that the Central Radiological Institute was pointlessly altered and that the neurology, otology and ophthalmology, as well as some other smaller clinics, were separated from this institute”.^[7] This measure had no impact on his other functions in Austro-Fascism - among other things, he was president of the Austrian Society for Orthopedagogy (1936-38) and chairman of the Association of Viennese Medical Specialists (1934-38). ^[8] Wieser’s contacts to leading National Socialists resulted in the administration of the General Hospital as well as the Factory Cell Organization of the NSDAP demanding the revocation of his dismissal on the day of the “Anschluss”. The ministry for social affairs under Hugo Jury prevented this reinstatement, however. ^[9] At the University of Vienna he was no longer able to teach because of his activities during Austro-Fascism and his venia legendi was “suspended until further notice” as of April 22nd, 1938.^[10] But Wieser did not want to settle for this: While - according to his own account - Edmund Glaise-Horstenau advocated his reinstatement, Wieser also asked Prof. Karl Frick for a favorable assessment. Although Wieser had held several influential positions in the corporative state, he claimed to have been “tortured for all these years in the most horrible way by our clerical rulers under the leadership of Professor Arzt”. He justified his function in the state council by saying he had “only accepted and kept it in the interest of the national medical profession”. ^[11] Frick did not praise Wieser exuberantly. Instead he emphasized Wieser’s efforts in founding the Austrian Society for Radiology, in which Wieser had been executive vice president. In this, “the Jewish influence [had been] significantly lower” than in the Viennese X-ray Society. Wieser had worked together closely with the German X-ray Society and invited German radiologists, while “Jewish radiologists” had “completely boycotted” a lecture by a member of the SS. ^[12] According to Enderle-Burcel, Wieser had pointed to pro-National Socialist activities in the Vaterländische Front and in the doctors’ associations as well as to interventions on behalf of National Socialists in the academic sector. All of this, however, still was not enough for rehabilitation. He could only continue working at his practice. ^[13] Another dramatic event occurred to Wieser during the Nazi era: On July 5th, 1939, he was temporarily arrested for his former function in the Austrian War Victims’ Association, after the personnel office of the Gau had reported him. ^[14] The former director of administration Rudolf Leckel and the former director Franz Fischer also were affected by this. The regional court of Vienna started a pre-investigation for suspicion of a negligent bankruptcy offence and reported that Wieser “was undoubtedly responsible”, but that the offence had come under the statute of limitations. Furthermore, it was suspected that the three suspects had embezzled insurance premiums to the detriment of their members. ^[15] Whether these accusations were founded in reality or the investigation was politically motivated is difficult to determine from today’s perspective. Wieser passed away two and a half months before the end of the Second World War due to X-ray damage to his hands, which degenerated malignantly.^[16] In his work, Wieser mainly addressed X-ray therapy for psychiatric and neurological illnesses as well as X-ray therapy for dementia in children. Among his most famous works are “Röntgentherapie des Schwachsinns bei Kindern” and “Grundlagen der Behandlung der Erkrankungen des vegetativen Nervensystems mit Röntgenstrahlen” (1930).^[17] Among other things, Wieser was president of the Austrian Society for Orthopedagogy (1936-38), executive vice president of the Austrian Society for Radiology and Radiation Research, member of the Society of Doctors, the German X-ray society and the Viennese Society for X-ray Science as well as editor of the “Radiologische Praktika” and chairman of the Association of Viennese Medical Specialists (1934-38).^[18]

Lit.: Federal Archives Berlin/R 3001, Sign. 132811; Austrian State Archive/AVA, PA Wieser; Archive of the University of Vienna/RA GZ 677-1937/38; FISCHER 1932/1933; DEGENER 1935; ENDERLE-BURCEL 1991; MÜHLBERGER 1993, 36; UB MedUni Wien/van Swieten Blog; http://www.radiodiagnostik-akhwien.at.

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Andreas Huber (translated by Thomas Rennert)