Peter Althaus (doctor) – Wikipedia

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Peter Althaus (right) In the event of a medical statement on Erich Honeck’s health, 1990

Peter Althaus (* December 27, 1940) is a German urologist. He worked at the Berlin Charité and was there from 1988 to 1991 Ordinarius for Urology. From 1992 to 2008 he was chief physician at the Protestant hospital Queen Elisabeth Herzberge in Berlin. As a doctor responsible for the cancer operation of Erich Honecker, he became known to the public in 1990 beyond specialist groups. The media topic was also the legal dispute with the Humboldt University in Berlin won by Althaus in 1992/1993 because of its termination due to an alleged activity for the Ministry of State Security of the GDR.

Althaus started studying medicine in Leningrad in 1960, which he completed with a gold medal. After completing his studies, he worked at the Martin Luther University Halle at the surgical clinic, where he was in 1969 with the dissertation The reconstruction of the kidney center of the Surgical University Clinic Halle was received. In 1971 he became a specialist in urology. [first] In 1973 he moved to the Charité of the Berlin Humboldt University in the Department of Experimental Organ Transplantation. In 1980 he habilitated with the habilitation thesis Studies on the hemodynamics of kidney transplants after hypothermic storage and perfusion preservation , a year later he was appointed a lecturer. The main research area was kidney transplants. In 1988 he was appointed ordinary professor of urology and, as the successor to Moritz Mebel, director of the Charité Clinic and Polyclinic. He had been deputy director of the clinic since 1982. [2]

In addition to his work on the Charité, Althaus worked as a consultant for the GDR government hospital. In August 1989 he diagnosed a tumor on the right kidney at Erich Honecker. The finding was not communicated to Honecker, only in January 1990 he learned from the media in connection with the examination of his adhesion. [3] On January 10, Althaus near Honecker removed a tumor from the right kidney. After Honecker had been arrested in the hospital on January 28, Althaus ultimately successfully campaigned for an imprisonment. On January 30, Althaus Erich Honecker, who had now lost his apartment in the Wandlitz forest settlement, brought Pastor Uwe Holmer to Lobetal, where Honecker was accommodated for several months. [4]

On July 22, 1991, Althaus was released without notice. In the opinion of the then Berlin Senator for Science and Research, Manfred Erhardt, the documents available to the Gauck authority from the former Ministry of State Security were sufficient [2] Althaus to prove an activity as an unofficial staff of the Stasi under the “Junghans” name name. The then Dean of the Charité, Harald Mau, said that the Stasi had “controlled the entire kidney transplant”. [5] In June 1992, however, the Berlin Labor Court declared the termination pronounced against Althaus to be ineffective, since the signature under the declaration of commitment for the Stasi did not come from Althaus. [6] Also in the second instance, Althaus won the process in January 1993. [7]

However, he had already taken on an activity at the Evangelical Hospital Queen Elisabeth Herzberge in 1992, where he headed the newly established urological department of the clinic. He worked as a chief doctor there for sixteen years. In December 2008 he retired. [first]

Althaus published numerous specialist articles and is a member of several research organizations, and since 1994 he has been a member of the Leibniz Societät der Sciences in Berlin.

  1. ↑ a b Farewell to Professor Althaus as chief physician of urology , Evangelical Hospital Queen Elisabeth Herzberge, Newsletter 6/2008, p. 8, Digitized (.pdf; 784 KB)
  2. ↑ a b B. Schönberger, S. Lück, History of urology at the Charité Berlin , in: urologist [b], 40 (2000), pp. 69–73
  3. ↑ Thomas out, Head of State A.D., The last years of Erich Honecker , Ch. Links Publlin Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-86153-247-6, P. 77
  4. ↑ A victory of God – 20 years ago, Uwe Holmer offered the Honecker family asylum in the rectory , Berliner Zeitung, January 30, 2010
  5. ↑ It’s about our honor . In: The mirror . No. 35 , 1991, S. 60–65 ( online – 26. August 1991 ).
  6. ↑ Michael Klonowsky, Conducted by a false friend , The time, June 26, 1992
  7. ↑ Doctor Althaus wins trial , Berliner Zeitung, January 20, 1993