1938: Classic Anatomy Book Gifted to Place Where “Medicine Was Practiced Best” #ThrowbackThursday

By Alyssa Frank • July 19, 2018

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The W. Bruce Fye History of Medicine Library on the Rochester, Minnesota, campus has treasures from many places and periods of time. One volume, a 16th century anatomical work by Andreas Vesalius, is a milestone of medical history, but it has other tales to tell.

One of its stories is how this iconic book came to be at Mayo Clinic. In the early 1900s, the Mayo brothers made dozens of international trips to seek out best practices and share information. Their itinerary included Germany, a center of medical innovation. While in Berlin, they befriended the Strassmann family that had established a highly regarded clinic that specialized in women's health. Paul Strassmann, M.D., who founded the clinic, sent his son, Erwin Strassmann, M.D., to study at Mayo Clinic. Friendships and collaborations flourished between the Strassmanns and the Mayos.

Conditions changed rapidly when Adolph Hitler came to power. The Strassmanns were of Jewish descent and found themselves engulfed in persecution. Dr. Paul Strassmann was forced to sell the clinic. He died soon after, mourning the life he loved. Dr. Erwin Strassmann could not imagine life under the Nazis and decided to emigrate.

Bureaucratic red tape made it difficult to enter the U.S. Under mounting pressure, Dr. Erwin Strassmann reached out to his friends at Mayo Clinic. Ultimately, Dr. William Mayo made it possible for Dr. Erwin Strassmann to study at Mayo in 1938. This meant he could bring his wife Ilse Strassman and their three children to Rochester. Dr. William Mayo called this opportunity "breathing space" while the Strassmanns settled in America. The Strassmanns said it saved their lives. Their relatives and friends who remained in Europe experienced hardship and death during World War II and the Holocaust.

After studying at Mayo, Dr. Erwin Strassmann established a practice in Houston. In gratitude, he and Ilse gave the Versalius book from their collection to Mayo Clinic. "It comes from the heart," said Dr. Strassmann. "The spirit and efficiency of the clinic was America at its best. It would be a joy to leave this classic work in the place where medicine is practiced best."

The value of the book that the Strassmanns donated qualifies them for recognition as Major Benefactors of Mayo Clinic and Mayo Alumni Laureates of the Doctors Mayo Society, the alumni philanthropic organization.

That book's tale is the subject of a new Heritage Film, "Breathing Space: One Family’s Journey from Nazi Germany to Mayo Clinic," which premiered at a meeting of the Mayo Clinic Alumni Association in Berlin on June 23. Watch the 18-minute film on the Mayo Clinic History and Heritage website.

The film about the Strassmann-Mayo friendship is part of an award-winning series made possible by benefactors John and Lillian Mathews. While the film was in production, the Mayo Clinic Alumni Association announced plans to hold its first meeting in Berlin—coincidentally 80 years after Dr. William Mayo helped the Strassmanns amid the gathering storm of World War II.

At the meeting, Eddie Greene, M.D., Chair of the Doctors Mayo Society, read a letter from John Noseworthy, M.D., President and CEO of Mayo Clinic: "The Strassmann and Mayo relationship dates back more than 100 years. It is personal, professional, and philanthropic, representing the ideals of friendship and generosity."

In her response, Diana Strassmann, Ph.D., said, "My grandparents' gift to the Mayo Clinic was made with a deep consciousness of the much larger gift the Mayo Clinic made to them." She noted that issues of ethnicity and immigration remain pressing topics today: "We are pleased to support Mayo Clinic in its mission of respecting and caring for all people."

Alyssa Frank

Alyssa Frank is a Marketing Segment Manager at Mayo Clinic Laboratories. She leads marketing strategies for product management and specialty testing. Alyssa has worked at Mayo Clinic since 2015.