Eugen Bircher (17 February 1882 – 20 October 1956) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

politician and military leader who became associated with a pro-

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position in the inter-war years.

Military and political career

Bircher came to prominence in the army where he rose to the rank of colonel. In 1934 he was promoted to Major General (Commander of 4., later 5. Division). Together with Federal Counselor Rudolf Minger he was a leading promoter of Swiss armament and preparedness between 1934 and 1939. Bircher published a lot of medical, political and military books and articles. An opponent of

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...

, in 1919 he formed the Schweizerischer Vaterländischer Verband, SVV (Swiss Fatherland Association), a militia and semi-secret society with links to fascist groups abroad. The group became influential amongst army officers in the years following the First World War. Bircher's position as leader of SVV was boosted by his spells as president of the Swiss Officers Society (1931-7) and editor of the official Swiss Army newspaper (1934–42). An influential figure in society, Bircher numbered the federal councillors Marcel Pilet-Golaz, Giuseppe Motta,

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, Walther Stampfli and Ernst Wetter amongst his close political associates. Bircher sought a close relationship between Switzerland and

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, and it has even been alleged that he funded

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

in his early years (although no conclusive evidence has as yet been provided and his biographer rejects this claim outright). He also organized medical corps for the Eastern Front on the pretext of

anti-communism Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism, communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global ...

Medical career

Bircher was a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

(Chief Surgeon 1917–1932, Director 1932–34 of Kantonsspital Aarau) by trade and in the 1920s published several groundbreaking papers detailing

arthroscopy Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the j ...

procedures on the

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

. Bircher is often considered the inventor of arthroscopy of the knee, although the Japanese surgeon Masaki Watanabe receives primary credit for using arthroscopy for interventional surgery. After diagnosing torn tissue through arthroscopy, Bircher used

open surgery Minimally invasive procedures (also known as minimally invasive surgeries) encompass surgical techniques that limit the size of incisions needed, thereby reducing wound healing time, associated pain, and risk of infection. Surgery by definitio ...

to remove or repair the damaged tissue. Initially, he used an electric Jacobaeus thoracolaparoscope for his diagnostic procedures, but later became devoted to double-contrast radiography for diagnostics. Bircher gave up

endoscopy An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike many other medical imaging techniques, endoscopes are insert ...

in 1930, and his work was largely neglected for several decades. Bircher was opposed to the introduction of

iodised salt Iodised salt (American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), also spelled iodized salt) is Salt#Edible salt, table salt mixed with a minute amount of various iodine salts. The ingestion of iodine prevents iod ...

, recommended by the Goitre Commission in 1922, of which he was a member. Bircher remained opposed to it until the end of his life. His home canton, Aargau, still largely suffered from

iodine deficiency Iodine deficiency is a lack of the trace element iodine, an essential nutrient in the diet. It may result in metabolic problems such as goiter, sometimes as an endemic goiter as well as congenital iodine deficiency syndrome due to untreated ...

and

goitre A goitre (British English), or goiter (American English), is a swelling in the neck resulting from an enlarged thyroid gland. A goitre can be associated with a thyroid that is not functioning properly. Worldwide, over 90% of goitre cases are ...

, meanwhile most of the Switzerland has seen significant progress since the introduction of iodine treatment.

Sources

Daniel Heller, ''Eugen Bircher, Arzt, Militär, Politiker, NZZ Zürich'' (1988).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bircher, Eugen 1882 births 1956 deaths People from Aarau Swiss Calvinist and Reformed Christians Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents politicians Members of the National Council (Switzerland) Swiss collaborators with Nazi Germany Swiss fascists Swiss generals Swiss people of World War II Swiss surgeons 20th-century surgeons 20th-century Swiss politicians Candidates for the Federal Council (Switzerland)