Walter Traugott Ulrich Pagel (12 November 1898 – 25 March 1983) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

and medical historian.

Biography

Pagel was born in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, the son of the famous physician and historian of medicine Julius Leopold Pagel. He married Dr. Magda Koll in 1920 and with her had a son,

Bernard Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''be ...

, in 1930. Pagel took his doctorate in Berlin in 1922 and became professor in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

in 1931. The family moved to Britain in 1933 for fear of persecution as Jews. Pagel practiced as Consultant Pathologist to the

Central Middlesex Hospital Central Middlesex Hospital is in the centre of the Park Royal business estate, on the border of two London boroughs, Brent and Ealing. It is managed by the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust. History The hospital was establi ...

Harlesden Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, north-west London. Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs, the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west towar ...

, in Greater London From 1939 to 1956, and continued at the Clare Hall Hospital, Barnet,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

from 1956 to 1967, when he retired. Following his retirement he began to devote his efforts to writing the

history of medicine The history of medicine is both a study of medicine throughout history as well as a multidisciplinary field of study that seeks to explore and understand medical practices, both past and present, throughout human societies. The history of med ...

. Walter Pagel died in

Mill Hill Mill Hill is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is situated around northwest of Charing Cross, close to the Hertfordshire border. It was in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Middlesex until 1965, when it b ...

in 1983.

Selected publications

*''The Religious and Philosophical Aspects of Van Helmont’s Science and Medicine'', Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1944. * ''Paracelsus: An Introduction to Philosophical Medicine in the Era of the Renaissance'', New York: Karger, 1958; 2nd. ed. 1982 ; French and German translations 1962.
''William Harvey's Biological Ideas: Selected Aspects and Historical Background''
New York: Karger, 1967. *''New Light on William Harvey'', New York: Karger, 1976. * ''Joan Baptista van Helmont: Reformer of Science and Medicine'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982. ** * ''The Smiling Spleen: Paracelsianism in Storm and Stress'', New York: Karger, 1984.

Awards

He was awarded the Dexter Award (1969),Walter Pagel received the Dexter Award for his skill in bringing out the relationship between Renaissance medicine and chemistry, in particular for his work on

Paracelsus Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance. H ...

and van Helmont. the

George Sarton Medal The George Sarton Medal is the most prestigious award given by the History of Science Society. It has been awarded annually since 1955. It is awarded to a historian of science from the international community who became distinguished for "a lifet ...

(1970), Julius Pagel Medal (1971), the Robert Koch Prize (1973) and in 1976 the William H. Welch Medal along with becoming a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (post-nominal letters FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in t ...

. In 1979 he was awarded th
Paracelsus Ring
(with Gotbert Moro).

References

1898 births 1983 deaths Physicians from Berlin German pathologists German historians of science Fellows of the British Academy Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United Kingdom {{germany-med-bio-stub