August Lindemann (1880–1970) – der erste für Kiefer- und Gesichtschirurgie habilitierte Fachvertreter in Deutschland

Abstract

August Lindemann was the first specialist in Germany to be habilitated explicitly for “maxillofacial surgery”; he also reached the highest offices at the Düsseldorf Medical Academy. But what were the characteristics of his career? How should Lindemann’s professional oeuvre be evaluated retrospectively? And how did he position himself politically in the Third Reich and in postwar Germany? These are the very questions that this article addresses. Archive files, contemporary printed matter and other publications relating to Lindemann and the West German Clinic for Maxillofacial Surgery, which he headed, serve as the source material. What retrospectively reads like an illustrious career actually began with great difficulty: Lindemann’s habilitation was preceded by a tug of war over university policy, which only came to a favorable end after more than 3 years. Apart from his pioneering role, Lindemann made a name for himself with more than 120 publications, significant technical innovations, and a scientific collection. In the Third Reich Lindemann presented himself as loyal to the regime. He not only became a member of the NSDAP and other Nazi organizations, but also publicly spoke out in favor of Nazi policies. As a postwar rector, he then showed a euphemistic approach to Nazi injustice.