Ernst von der Porten

Abstract

The Ernst von der Porten medal has been awarded for many years to exceptional personalities by the Alliance of German Anesthesiologists to honor the outstanding achievements of the physician Ernst von der Porten from Hamburg in the development of anesthesiology as an autonomous discipline Only recent access to hitherto inaccessible documents enabled the reconstruction of his final years. He was persecuted and excluded by the National Socialist (NS) regime due to his Jewish roots and finally forced to emigrate. Records revealed that even in the so-called safe exile, degrading treatment and humiliation continued for Ernst von der Porten and his family. He eventually evaded this situation by committing suicide.