Langer, erich

(¤ 1891, † 1957) Dermatologist, active in Berlin. 1919-1927 dermatological training at Rudolf Virchow Hospital under Abraham Buschke. Appointed senior physician there. In 1927 he was appointed head physician of the newly founded dermatology department of the Städt. Hospital Britz.

His medical and scientific career was abruptly interrupted by the National Socialists in 1933. He was able to work in his medical practice in Knesebeckstrasse in Berlin until 1938.

Withdrawal of his license to practice in 1938. From 1938, Erich Langer worked as a "Krankenbehandler" and from 1939 to 1941 as head of the main polyclinic of the Jewish Medical Aid at Alexanderplatz.

On July 15, 1942, the Attorney General filed charges against Dr. Erich Israel Langer at the Berlin District Court "for contesting his marital status" (source: Berlin State Archives). From 1943 Erich Langer had to go into hiding in Berlin, finally in a gazebo on an island in Lake Tegel.

In 1945 he was reinstated to his old position at Britz Hospital. 1949-1951 in Britz 1st full professor of dermatology at the newly founded Free University of Berlin (West). 1951, as successor to Heinrich Löhe, moved with the University Dermatology Clinic to the Rudolf Virchow Hospital in Westend.

His scientific focus was on venereological topics. His "Atlas der Syphilis", published in 1949 by the Berliner Medizinische Verlagsanstalt (now Gesundheitsmedien und Congress, Berlin), became particularly well known.

One of Langer's particular achievements, together with the publisher Eduard Grosse Sr., was the founding of the first German dermatological journal (Zeitschrift für Haut- und Geschlechtskrankheiten und deren Grenzbebiete) after the Second World War. After Langer's death, his student Heinz Grimmer continued as editor-in-chief. In 2003, the journal became part of the Journal of the German Dermatological Society (JDDG).

In 1998, a memorial plaque to Erich Langer was unveiled in the dermatology ward of Neukölln Hospital (now Vivantes Neukölln Hospital) (donated by Hermal Kurt Herrmann GmbH and Dr. Eduard Grosse jun., Berliner Medizinische Verlagsanstalt).

The "Erich Langer-Heinrich Teller Memorial Lecture" has been held regularly in Berlin since 2001.

1. Buder Susanne, Hillen Uwe, Kohl Peter K. (2022) The history of the Clinic for Dermatology and Venereology at the Vivantes Clinic Berlin-Neukölln. Act. Dermatol. (48) 433-440. DOI 10.1055/a-1889-8313
2. Burgdorf Walter H. C., Hoenig Leonard J., Plewig Gerd, Kohl Peter K. (2014) Erich Langer - The last jewish dermatologist in Nazi Berlin. Clinics Dermatol. (32) 532-541. DOI 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2014.05.001
3. Burgdorf Walter H. C., Plewig Gerd, Kohl Peter K., Hoenig Leonard J. (2014) Notable notes: Erich Langer: One who came back. JAMA Dermatology (150) 63
4. Grimmer Heinz (1957) In memoriam Erich Langer. Z Haut Geschlechtskr 23: 308-310
5. Grimmer Heinz (1984) Erich Langer (1891-1957). in: Klaschka F. Rauhut K. 100 years of dermatology in Berlin. 100 Years of Dermatology in Berlin Grosse, Berlin: 117-121
6. Halter Klaus (1958) In memoriam Erich Langer. Dermatologist 9: 47-48
7. Hartung Jo (1956) Professor Dr. Erich Langer on the occasion of his 65th birthday. Z Haut Geschlechtskr 20: 161-163
8. Löser Christoph R., Buder Susanne, Gollnick Harald, Kohl Peter K., Schön Michael P (2023) Erich Langer, Wolfram Sterry und das Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft - wechselvolle Geschichte einer dermatologischen Fachzeitschrift. JDDG (21) 435-438. DOI 10.1111/ddg.15058_g
9. Proppe Albin (1956) Erich Langer on his 65th birthday. Dermatologist 7: 143-144
10. Scholz Albrecht, Eppinger Sven (1999) The fate of Germany's Jewish dermatologists in the period of National Socialism. Int J Dermatol 38: 716-719. DOI 10.1046/j.1365-4362.1999.00801.x