Ferdinand Mainzer
Encyclopedia
Ferdinand Mainzer was a German-Jewish gynaecologist and historical author.
Born 16 January 1871, Mainzer wrote his doctoral disseration on wandering spleen
. In the 1890s he worked at the Berlin clinic of the gynecologist Leopold Landau
.
Mainzer had artistic connections and historical interests. He married Gertrud Sabersky, a student of the artist Walter Leistikow
, and his own portrait was painted by Lovis Corinth
in 1899. After a hand injury meant that he could no longer perform surgery, he turned to writing about antiquity. He was interested in numismatics
, and a friend of the numismatist Edward Gans. His biography of Julius Caesar
was translated into French and English, and widely reviewed. The book inspired Thornton Wilder
to write his own novel about Caesar, The Ides of March.
Mainzer was a close friend of the Catholic priest Friedrich von Erxleben, who was a member of the Solf Circle of intellectuals involved in the resistance
against Nazism
. Mainzer and his family were helped to escape to England by the daughter of Wilhelm
and Hanna Solf, the Countess So'oa'emalelagi "Lagi" von Ballestrem-Solf, who escorted them with their jewellery hidden in the lining of her clothes.
Mainzer died 3 January 1943. His daughter Luci Manén married Otto John
in 1949.
Born 16 January 1871, Mainzer wrote his doctoral disseration on wandering spleen
Wandering spleen
Wandering spleen is a rare medical disease caused by the loss or weakening of the ligaments that help to hold the spleen.-Background:...
. In the 1890s he worked at the Berlin clinic of the gynecologist Leopold Landau
Leopold Landau
Leopold Landau was a German gynecologist born in Warsaw.He studied medicine at the Universities of Breslau, Würzburg and Berlin, obtaining his doctorate at the latter institution in 1870. After serving as an assistant surgeon during the Franco-Prussian War, he was a lecturer in gynecology at the...
.
Mainzer had artistic connections and historical interests. He married Gertrud Sabersky, a student of the artist Walter Leistikow
Walter Leistikow
Walter Leistikow was a German artist from Bromberg .After having been dismissed by the Academy in Berlin for lack of talent, he studied with Hermann Eschke and the Norwegian painter Hans Fredrik Gude....
, and his own portrait was painted by Lovis Corinth
Lovis Corinth
Lovis Corinth was a German painter and printmaker whose mature work realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism....
in 1899. After a hand injury meant that he could no longer perform surgery, he turned to writing about antiquity. He was interested in numismatics
Numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. While numismatists are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other payment media used to resolve debts and the...
, and a friend of the numismatist Edward Gans. His biography of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
was translated into French and English, and widely reviewed. The book inspired Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.-Early years:Wilder was born in Madison,...
to write his own novel about Caesar, The Ides of March.
Mainzer was a close friend of the Catholic priest Friedrich von Erxleben, who was a member of the Solf Circle of intellectuals involved in the resistance
German Resistance
The German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
against Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
. Mainzer and his family were helped to escape to England by the daughter of Wilhelm
Wilhelm Solf
Wilhelm Heinrich Solf was a German scholar, diplomat, jurist and statesman.-Early life:Wilhelm Solf was born into a wealthy and liberal family in Berlin. He attended secondary schools in Anklam in western Pomerania and in Mannheim...
and Hanna Solf, the Countess So'oa'emalelagi "Lagi" von Ballestrem-Solf, who escorted them with their jewellery hidden in the lining of her clothes.
Mainzer died 3 January 1943. His daughter Luci Manén married Otto John
Otto John
Otto John was the first head of the West German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution from 1950 to 1954...
in 1949.
Works
- Wandermilz und Splenektomie, München: J. F. Lehmann, 1892
- 'Das Dekadrachmon von Athen', Zeitschrift für Numismatik, vol. 36 (1926), pp. 37-54
- Siciliana aus griechisch-römischer Zeit, Berlin: Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1930.
- Clodia: Politik und Liebe auf dem Palatin, Berlin: Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1931.
- Der Kampf um Caesars Erbe, Leipzig: E.P. Tal, 1934. Translated by EdenEden PaulMaurice Eden Paul, most commonly known simply as Eden Paul was a socialist physician, writer and translator.-Biography:...
and Cedar PaulCedar PaulCedar Paul, née Gertrude Mary Davenport was a singer, author, translator and journalist.-Biography:Gertrude Davenport came from a musical family: she was the grand-daughter of the composer George Alexander Macfarren and the daughter of the composer Francis William Davenport...
as Caesar's mantle; the end of the Roman republic, New York: Viking, 1936.