Obituary for Dietrich von Engelhardt
Obituary for Dietrich von Engelhardt
“We will miss him very much”
He was closely associated with the GDNÄ for decades: as an organiser of splendid conferences, as an author, interview partner and benevolent, competent advisor: Professor Dietrich Baron von Engelhardt has now passed away in Karlsruhe at the age of 83. In 2016, the renowned historian of science was awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Medal for his outstanding services to the further development of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians.
According to his family, Dietrich von Engelhardt died on 14 January 2025. “Out of this death of nature, out of this dead shell, a more beautiful nature, the spirit emerges” – this quotation from Hegel introduces the obituary and those who knew Dietrich von Engelhardt will find it extremely fitting.
“The death of Dietrich von Engelhardt is a bitter loss for the GDNÄ,” says Professor Michael Dröscher, Treasurer and Secretary General of the GDNÄ. He adds: “The fantastic symposium he organized to mark the 175th anniversary of the GDNÄ with many prominent figures from science and politics will remain unforgotten.” As a member of the GDNÄ Education Commission, Professor von Engelhardt was a pioneer of general education through the natural sciences. Michael Dröscher: “Until the end, he was always at our side with his profound historical knowledge in an amiable manner. We will miss him greatly and honour his memory.”
The commemorative publication marking the 200th anniversary of the GDNÄ contains a four-page interview with Professor von Engelhardt. When asked how he explained the GDNÄ’s resilience, he replied: “Above all, with its uniqueness. Since its foundation in 1822, its core concern has been the interdisciplinary exchange between scientists and physicians, as well as the connection to philosophy and society.” He would like to see a dedicated effort to build bridges with the humanities, not least as a contribution to solving the ethical and legal challenges of the present day.
In the summer of 2024, Dietrich von Engelhardt published the impressive work “Goethe as a Natural Scientist in the Judgement of 19th Century Science and Medicine”. This comprehensive volume of sources, which fills a gap in research, was produced with the collaboration of his wife Ulrike von Engelhardt. In an interview that can be found on this website, he reported on his decades of work on Goethe and his works on topics in the natural sciences and medicine. He said that his book is dedicated to their reception in the 19th century, but “what would be necessary and revealing now would be a comparison with the reactions in the humanities and arts since the 19th century until today – a work that I would like to leave to other researchers.” Now we understand why he said that.
© IMGWF – Lübeck
Prof. Dr. Dietrich von Engelhardt
About the person
Professor von Engelhardt was a full professor of the history of medicine and the general history of science at the University of Lübeck from 1983 to 2007. His main research interests included natural philosophy, natural sciences, medicine in idealism and romanticism, and European scientific relations. In 1997, Professor von Engelhardt organised a major symposium in Lübeck to mark the 175th anniversary of the GDNÄ. He was the editor of the associated commemorative publication “Forschung und Fortschritt” (Research and Progress) and the “Schriftenreihe über die Versammlungen Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte” (Publication Series on the Meetings of German Scientists and Physicians). Dietrich von Engelhardt was a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. He had been a member of the GDNÄ since 1981.
Further links:
Books (Ed. Dietrich von Engelhardt)
Interview on this website