Curt Elze (February 16, 1885 – April 9, 1972) was a German anatomist and professor at the universities of Rostock, Giessen, and Würzburg during the Third Reich. He headed the anatomical institute at Würzburg and was associated with

Werner Heyde Werner Heyde (aka Fritz Sawade) (25 April 1902 – 13 February 1964) was a German psychiatrist. He was one of the main organizers of Nazi Germany's T-4 Euthanasia Program. Early life Heyde was born in Forst (Lausitz), on May 25, in 1902, and ...

for the supply of execution victims for use in medical studies. Elze was born in Halle, son of a namesake lawyer and Lina née Frenkel (1857–1936). He went to school in Halle and studied medicine at the Universities of Freiburg and Halle, graduating in 1907. He studied human embryology and development under

Franz Julius Keibel Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see Fran ...

(1861–1929) and received a doctorate in 1908 after which he worked at the University of Vienna under

Ferdinand Hochstetter Ferdinand Hochstetter (February 5, 1861 – November 10, 1954) was an Austrian embryologist, anatomist and a professor of medicine at the University of Vienna. Life and work Hochstetter was born in Hruschau in Austrian Silesia to Carl Christi ...

. He completed his habilitation at the University of Heidelberg and became a lecturer. During World War I he served as a military doctor and returned in 1916 to work at the Heidelberg Hospital. He served in Heidelberg until 1921 when he became a professor of anatomy at the University of Rostock. In 1931 he served as a rector and the next year as vice-rector. In 1934 he joined the Nazi teachers' association and in 1940 he became a

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...

member (number 8007883). He became chair of anatomy at Giessen in 1936. From 1940 he was a professor at the University of Würzburg where he succeeded Hans Petersen as director of the anatomical institute. During this period the institute received numerous bodies of Nazi execution victims for their use in dissection and study. Elze collaborated with

Hermann Braus Hermann Braus (15 August 1868 – 28 November 1924) was a German anatomist who worked as a professor of comparative zoology at the University of Heidelberg and of anatomy at the University of Würzburg. He was involved in studies on the evolution o ...

on his anatomical atlas ("Anatomie des Menschen") and served as an editor for the ''Zeitschrift für Anatomie und Entwicklungsgeschichte''. From 1940 the anatomical institute received 80 bodies from

who headed a Nazi euthanasia program. Elze would later claim during

denazification Denazification () was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by removing those who had been Nazi Par ...

that he took his membership to the Nazi party only due to pressure from the teachers. Elze married Annemarie Keil (1892–1995) in 1916 and they had two sons and two daughters. He is buried in the Protestant Laurentiusfriedhof in Halle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elze, Curt 1885 births 1972 deaths German anatomists