Rudolf Degkwitz (19 January 1889, in Ronneburg – 21 May 1973, in Emmendingen) was a German physician, an early member of the

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

and a participant in the 1923

Beer Hall Putsch The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the Munich Putsch,Dan Moorhouse, ed schoolshistory.org.uk, accessed 2008-05-31.Known in German as the or was a failed coup d'état by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Erich Ludendorff and other leaders i ...

. He was acquainted with

Rudolf Hess Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician, Nuremberg trials, convicted war criminal and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer ( ...

and became involved with the Nazi Party in the early 1920s. He took part in Nazi political discussions in Munich and befriended

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 1923 he became a member of the Nazi Party, and he took part in the

in November 1923. He eventually left the Nazi Party, but unsuccessfully applied in 1933 and 1937 to become a member again. He signed the Loyalty Oath of German Professors to Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist State in 1933. Degkwitz was a professor at the University of Greifswald from 1925, and at the University of Hamburg from 1932. He eventually became critical of some aspects of Nazism, especially

child euthanasia in Nazi Germany Child euthanasia () was the name given to the organized killing of severely mentally and physically disabled children and teenagers up to 16 years old during the Nazi era in over 30 so-called "special children's wards". At least 5,000 children wer ...

. In 1944, Degkwitz was convicted by the People's Court of subversion of national defense and sentenced to seven years imprisonment. The court, however, lauded his medical work, and therefore did not sentence him to death.Sentence cited in Ursel Hochmuth, Gertrud Meyer: ''Streiflichter aus dem Hamburger Widerstand; 1933–1945'', p. 300 After the war, Degkwitz briefly resumed his medical work in Germany, but after a conflict with his employer he emigrated to the United States and worked in the private sector. He moved back to Germany shortly before his death in 1973. In the 30's he wrote his Treatise on Pediatrics assisted by doctors A. Eckstein, E. Freudenmberg, H. Brühl, F. Goebel where he shows in his chapters that he was an expert in pediatric infections (1).

References

1) Degkewitz R. Tratado de pediatría. 1a ed. española. Barcelona 1936. {{DEFAULTSORT:Degkwitz, Rudolf 1889 births 1973 deaths 20th-century Freikorps personnel Physicians from Baden-Württemberg Physicians in the Nazi Party Nazis who participated in the Beer Hall Putsch Nazis convicted of crimes Prisoners and detainees of Germany