Rudolf Degkwitz (19 January 1889, in Ronneburg – 21 May 1973, in Emmendingen) was a German physician, an early member of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

and a participant in the 1923

Beer Hall Putsch The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the Munich Putsch,Dan Moorhouse, ed schoolshistory.org.uk, accessed 2008-05-31.Known in German as the or was a failed coup d'état by Nazi Party ( or NSDAP) leader Adolf Hitler, Erich Ludendorff and othe ...

. He was acquainted with

Rudolf Hess Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler in 1933, Hess held that position unt ...

and became involved with the Nazi Party in the early 1920s. He took part in Nazi political discussions in Munich and befriended

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

. In 1923 he became a member of the Nazi Party, and he took part in the

in November 1923. He eventually left the Nazi Party, but unsuccessfully applied in 1933 and 1937 to become a member again. He signed the Loyalty Oath of German Professors to Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist State in 1933. Degkwitz was a professor at the University of Greifswald from 1925, and at the University of Hamburg from 1932. He eventually became critical of some aspects of Nazism, especially

child euthanasia in Nazi Germany Child Euthanasia (german: Kinder-Euthanasie) was the name given to the organised killing of severely mentally and physically disabled children and young people up to 16 years old during the Nazi era in over 30 so-called special children's wards. A ...

. In 1944 he was convicted by the People's Court of subversion of national defense and sentenced to seven years imprisonment. The court however lauded his medical work, and therefore did not sentence him to death.Sentence cited in Ursel Hochmuth, Gertrud Meyer: ''Streiflichter aus dem Hamburger Widerstand; 1933–1945'', p. 300 After the war he briefly resumed his medical work in Germany, but after a conflict with his employer he emigrated to the United States and worked in the private sector. He moved back to Germany shortly before his death in 1973. In the 30's he wrote his Treatise on Pediatrics assisted by doctors A. Eckstein, E. Freudenmberg, H. Brühl, F. Goebel where he shows in his chapters that he was an expert in pediatric infections (1).

References

1) Degkewitz R. Tratado de pediatría. 1a ed. española. Barcelona 1936. {{DEFAULTSORT:Degkwitz, Rudolf 1889 births 1973 deaths Physicians from Baden-Württemberg Physicians in the Nazi Party Nazis who participated in the Beer Hall Putsch Nazis convicted of crimes Prisoners and detainees of Germany