Bettmann, siegfried

(¤ 1869, † 1939). Bettmann was born in Bayreuth. Studied medicine in Heidelberg from 1888. He spent his entire academic life in Heidelberg, with the exception of a Berlin academic year in 1890/91. He received his doctorate in 1893 under the psychiatrist Emil Kraeplin (1856-1926), and in 1894/95 he was an assistant at the Medical Polyclinic under Oswald Vierordt (1856-1906). Siegfried Bettmann had habilitated in the winter semester of 1897/98 with a thesis "On the influence of arsenic on the blood and bone marrow of rabbits" and with a trial lecture "Uraemia in the context of autointoxication theory". From the semester 1899 he read twice a week a course "On Skin and Sexually Transmitted Diseases with Demonstration of the Sick", and in the winter semester 1900/01 he also read "The Sexually Transmitted Diseases and their Social Significance", later "On Prostitution and Sexually Transmitted Diseases", for listeners of all faculties.

His (non-dermatological) teacher Heinrich Wilhelm Erb wanted to make the subject "dermatology" independent in Heidelberg and therefore applied for a special teaching assignment for S. Bettmann. This was granted on 13.8.1904 for the subject "skin and venereal diseases". On 20.8.1908 Bettmann was appointed "etatmäßiger Extraordinarius". In the same year he took over the newly established "Hautklinik und Hautpoliklinik" as director. In 1914 Bettmann's textbook "Einführung in die Dermatologie" (Introduction to Dermatology) was published. With effect from 22.3.1919 Bettmann became full professor for dermatology. On 1.10.1926 appointment as "scheduled full professor". In 1924/25 he was dean of the medical faculty. Bettmann's last years of service and life were marked by the National Socialist assumption of power. In April 1933, Bettmann was granted leave of absence as a "member of the Jewish race" until further notice in execution of the "Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service". With effect from 1.4.1935 he was retired. The Medical Faculty of the University of Heidelberg revoked the teaching license of this deserving Jewish colleague on 31.12.1935. In 1938 Siegfried Bettmann left Heidelberg and died in Zurich on 19.10.39. He was succeeded by W. Schönfeld in the Heidelberg Chair before his planned departure for the USA.