Overview
Overview
Overview
Life & death of historical figures
The fact that illnesses can have a massive impact on an individual's life and become a game changer in history, culture and politics is particularly evident in the case of historical figures. University Professor Dr. med. Peer Eysel, Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Orthopaedics, Trauma Surgery and Plastic Aesthetic Surgery, has launched an interdisciplinary series of events.
This deals with famous personalities from world history. Each afternoon event will highlight a historical personality from different areas (politics, art, science) with various lectures. The person will be categorized historically, and illness and death will be examined from a medical perspective. The question of how an individual's fate or illness influenced the person's life, and thus to some extent history, is also explored.
The event takes place every six months.
I am delighted that this interdisciplinary series of events has attracted so much interest and look forward to more inspiring lectures.
Upcoming event
09.11.2026 I 16.00 Uhr
Ludwig van Beethoven
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Past events
09.02.2026 I 16.00 h
Sigmund Freud
On February 9, Sigmund Freud (*1856), the founder of psychoanalysis, will be the focus of the lectures. With his concepts of ego, id and superego as well as the interpretation of dreams, Freud made the world of the unconscious visible and opened up new ways of analyzing inner conflicts. In 1938, Freud fled Vienna for London and lived there in exile, suffering from cancer of the palate caused by many years of cigar consumption. Freud died on September 23, 1939. Three lectures will examine his life and work from different perspectives - you can expect an exciting insight into the interplay between science, history and medicine!
Speakers & topics at a glance:
- Welcome and introduction by Prof. Dr. Peer Eysel, Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Orthopaedics, Trauma Surgery and Plastic-Aesthetic Surgery, University Medicine Cologne.
- Prof. Dr. Joachim Klosterkötter, former Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Medical Center Cologne, will shed light on Freud's life and work.
- Prof. Dr. Jens Peter Klußmann, Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Ear, Nose and Throat Medicine at the University Medical Center Cologne, will discuss the history of the illness.
- Prof. Dr. Elke Kalbe, Director of the Department of Medical Psychology I Neuropsychology and Gender Studies, assesses the significance of psychoanalysis for today's psychology
Bilder der Veranstaltung "Sigmund Freud"
07.07.2025 I 16.00 h
Marie Curie
July 7, 2025 is about the life and death of natural scientist Marie Skłodowska Curie (* November 7, 1867, Warsaw, Poland; † July 4, 1934, Passy, France). On July 4, 1934, Marie Curie died of leukemia in Sancellemoz, Switzerland, probably caused by overdoses of radioactive radiation during her work. Curie was a physicist and chemist. She was awarded a Nobel Prize in both subjects. She was the first person ever to be awarded this honor. Three lectures will examine her life and work from different perspectives - an exciting insight into the interplay between science, history and medicine!
Speakers & topics at a glance:
- Welcome and introduction by Prof. Dr. Peer Eysel, Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Orthopaedics, Trauma Surgery and Plastic-Aesthetic Surgery, University Medicine Cologne.
- Prof. Dr. Bernd Neumaier, Institute of Radiochemistry and Experimental Molecular Imaging at the University Medical Center Cologne, will report on Curie's life and work.
- Prof. Dr. Alexander Drzezga, Clinic and Polyclinic for Nuclear Medicine, University Medicine Cologne, gives an overview of the medical history.
- Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Burchert, Institute of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University Hospital of the Ruhr University Bochum, reports on radiation protection in times of crisis.
Pictures from the "Marie Curie" event
13.01.2025 I 16.00 h
Albert Einstein
On January 13, 2025, the focus will be on the life and death of the scientist Albert Einstein (* March 14, 1879 in Ulm; † April 18, 1955 in Princeton, New Jersey). Einstein is considered one of the most important physicists in the history of science and one of the best-known scientists of modern times worldwide. Four lectures will examine his life and work from different perspectives - an exciting insight into the interplay between science, history and medicine!
Speakers & topics at a glance:
- Welcome and introduction by Prof. Dr. Peer Eysel, Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Orthopaedics, Trauma Surgery and Plastic Aesthetic Surgery, University Medicine Cologne
- The physicist Professor Claus Kiefer, Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Cologne, will present aspects of Einstein's biography and work.
- Professor Bernhard Dorweiler, Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Vascular Surgery, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University Medicine Cologne, will explain Albert Einstein's medical history and cause of death.
- Professor Gereon Fink, Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurology University Medicine Cologne Director of the Institute for Cognitive Neurosciences Research Center Jülich, reports on the efforts made at the time to understand Einstein's "genius" on the basis of his posthumously removed brain and explains in particular how it is possible today to visualize thought processes using modern imaging techniques, among other things.
