Hans Martin Sutermeister

Hans Martin Sutermeister

Hans Martin Sutermeister in 1945
Born (1907-09-29)29 September 1907
Schlossrued, Switzerland
Died 4 May 1977(1977-05-04) (aged 69)
Basel, Switzerland
Residence Switzerland
Citizenship Swiss
Alma mater University of Basel
Known for activism against miscarriages of justice
Signature

Hans Martin Sutermeister (29 September 1907 in Schlossrued – 4 May 1977 in Basel; pen name: Hans Moehrlen) was a Swiss physician and medical writer, politician, and activist against miscarriages of justice.

Life

Early years

Hans Martin was born to Freidrich Sutermeister (1873-1934) and Maria Hunziker (1875-1947). His brothers include the writer Peter and composer Heinrich. His grandfather was the folklorist Otto Sutermeister. A minister's son, Hans Martin studied theology in Germany, changing to medicine at University of Basel just before completing his degree.[1] After his promotion with his uncle Hans Hunziker in 1941, Sutermeister published, under the pseudonym “Hans Moehrlen” (following the surname of his great-grandfather Christophe Moehrlen), an autobiographical novella about his life as a bachelor. The novella describes his philosophical change of direction towards a monist view of love and happiness, inspired by natural science; remarkably is its heartedness in times of war.[2] In the following years, Sutermeister published a series on neopositivist medical thought. He was especially interested in psychosomatic medicine and music psychology. For example, according to him, “swing music is restful” because

the brain becomes fatigued when it is worked too hard, as in acquiring knowledge of new facts. Both students and business men can benefit by such music … the best way to rest the brain after such fatigue is to “regress” to more basic or primitive forms of thought and feeling.[3]

During World War II, he worked for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration in Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia, as well as a physician at the Swiss border. After the war he wrote for medical journals and was an instructor in psychophysiology at the Volkshochschule (Folk high school) in Bern. In 1945, he opened his first a family medical practice in Bern.

In order to get a venia legendi in History of Medicine and Medical Psychology (Psychosomatics), Sutermeister successively deposited, at the beginning of the 1950s, three post-doctoral theses at the Medical Faculty of the University of Berne:[4]

Sutermeister was in contact with the medical historian Erich Hintzsche particularly because of his work Schiller as physician, and he participated in a seminar on medical history 1953 in Lugano. In a letter to Hintzsche, Henry E. Sigerist described Sutermeister's review, published in 1955 as Volume 13 of the Berne contributions to the history of medicine and natural sciences, as “a very nice work … that is interesting even to literary historians.”[8] The assessor Jakob Klaesi recommended to the Dean of the Faculty Bernhard Walthard to allow Sutermeister's habilitation allow for the government to issue Sutermeister's habilitation as a lecturer in Medicine history and Psychosomatic medicine.[4] Hintzsche, however, who decided jointly, rejected his habilitation.[8]

Politics

He joined the Ring of Independents political party and began his political career in the legislature of the Canton of Bern. From 1967 to 1971 he served as a member of the municipal executive, as well as director of the city's schools.[9] As school director, he promoted comprehensive schools. Although he had a reputation as a progressive within his party, he also stirred some concern both inside and outside the party[10] by fiercely criticizing The Little Red Schoolbook,[11] an educational manifesto deriving from the 1968 student protest movement that urged students to reject societal norms. Der Spiegel quoted his warning to all educators:

We will not permit our youth, who are today still healthy, and our freedom-based Western culture, to be undermined by such softening-up tactics, which are clearly controlled from the East, and made 'Ready for conquest' by Communism.[12]

and added that some schools banned the book; Radio Bern canceled a broadcast on it; and bookstores canceled orders; the city authorities determined that the book was not seditious, but with police assurance that they had the power to do so, banned it as posing a danger to minors. His actions revealed latent attitudinal and generational divisions within the party, and he was not re-elected in 1971.[10][13]

In 1972, he opened his new family medical practice in Basel.

Sutermeister (right) discusses with Roger Le Breton (left) the Jaccoud case; nov. 1960

Activism against miscarriages of justice

In the 1960s, Sutermeister became interested in forensic pathology, and began to involve himself in investigating and attempting to right miscarriages of justice. He traveled widely and wrote analyses on false recognition, intimidation by prison inmates, uncritical acceptance of expert testimony, suggestibility and emotionalism in jurors and psychological errors by judges. His book Summa Iniuria, which treats hundreds of cases, is one of the most thorough German-language works in the field. He concerned himself particularly with the case of Pierre Jaccoud, whom he was convinced had been wrongly convicted of murdering Charles Zumbach based on faulty forensic work. At one point Pierre Hegg, the head of the police criminological laboratory, sued him for defamation.[14] His efforts on behalf of Jaccoud made him a prominent and effective opponent of courtroom injustice,[1] and he went so far as to assemble the funds to hire Horace Mastronardi and other lawyers to appeal Jaccoud's conviction.[15] Despite his efforts, the case was never reopened.

The criminal law expert Karl Peters puts Sutermeister's Summa iniuria in the context of the earlier works of Erich Sello, Max Alsberg, Albert Hellwig, Max Hirschberg and Heinrich Jagusch and considers him as a "committed fighters for a constitutionally protected Criminal Justice".[16]

Bibliography

Hans Martin Sutermeister bibliography
A photo showing head and shoulders of an elderly Caucasian man.
Sutermeister pictured for the municipal elections in Bern, 1971
Releases
↙Books 12
↙Novels 1
↙Articles around 150
↙Pamphlets undefined
↙Poems 1
↙Music 2 waltz
↙Interviews undefined
↙Letters see Nachlass at Burgerbibliothek of Berne
↙Translations >1

The bibliography of Hans Martin Sutermeister includes a fictional novel and around 150 scientific articles, essays and books, some of them Investigative journalism written by the Swiss writer Hans Martin Sutermeister, pen name Hans Moehrlen (1907–1977). Sutermeister was a prolific writer on topics related to psychosomatic medicine, music psychology and history of medicine as well as contemporary Swiss society and cultural criticism, whom Karl Peters in 2008 declared "a fierce fighter for justice."[17]

Sutermeister is best remembered for his contradictory political as a both-left-and-rightwing libertarian-authoritarian presence in local media. Every line of work that he has written since 1942 seeming, directly or indirectly, in favour of a monist worldview. To that end, Sutermeister used his scientific writing to defend his political convictions, as shown in several book reviews. He first achieved acclaim with his non–fictional books from Psychologie und Weltanschauung (1944) to Schiller als Arzt (1955) and cemented his place in local history as one of the greatest Swiss pamphletists with the publication of Summa Iniuria: Ein Pitaval der Justizirrtümer shortly before his death.

Sutermeister wrote non-fiction—including book reviews, editorials, and investigative journalism—for a variety of Swiss periodicals, mainly medical journals. He particularly wrote a book-length investigation of comprehensive schools in Switzerland and another of miscarriages of justice in the form of Summa Iniuria: Ein Pitaval der Justizirrtümer, a retrospective of criminal justice mainly in Switzerland and Germany.

No attempts have been made until now to comprehensively collect the entirety of his miscellany.

Books

Cover of Hans Martin Sutermeister's Summa Iniuria: Ein Pitaval der Justizirrtümer (1976).

Sutermeister composed one novel, Zwischen zwei Welten, which is autobiographical; it was inspired by his period working as a student during wartime; it records his experiences living and tramping in a town where he later finished his medical studies; the names are partially fictionalized:

Book reviews:

Among his Non-fiction books are the writings of his Neopositivist period (1942–1945) which culminates in his article Der Neopositivismus als neue Einheitsweltanschauung (1945; see below):

  • Hans Rudolf Oehlhey: Review of ‘’Psychologie und Weltanschauung’’. In: ‘’Aufbau: Kulturpolitische Monatsschrift.’’ Berlin W 8. vol. 3, 1947, nr. 3, p. 282-283.
  • Agostino Gemelli in: „Scientia“: rivista di scienza, Vol. 83, 1948, p. 119–120; and in: Archivio di psicologia, neurologia e psichiatria, 7, 1946, p. 227.
  • ? in: Zeitschrift für pädagogische Psychologie und Jugendkunde, Vol. 45, 1944, p. 63.
  • ? in: Universitas, Vol. 6, 1951, p. 383 (with a short biographic note).
The work is an exact reproduction with some extensions of the initial report Möglichkeiten und Grenzen einer stadtbernischen Bildungspolitik mit dem Ziel einer inneren und äusseren Schulreform („Gesamtschule“) published in January 1971.
  • Rémy Droz in: Psychologie: Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Psychologie und ihre Anwendungen, 35-36, 1976, p. 317;
  • ? in: Psychotherapie und medizinische Psychologie, Vol. 28, 1978, p. 180;
  • Otto Scrinzi in: Ärztliche Praxis: Die Zeitung des Arztes in Klinik und Praxis. Vol. 29, nr. 13, 12 February 1977;
  • ? in: Psychiatrie, Neurologie und medizinische Psychologie, Volume 32, 1980, p. 122.

Academic work

Doctoral dissertation:

At the University of Berne, Sutermeister presented subsequently three Habilitation theses,[4] which were all rejected:[8]

Articles

Cover of Hans Martin Sutermeister's (alias Hans Moehrlen's) autobiographic novel Zwischen zwei Welten (1942).

Sutermeister wrote dozens of essays and book reviews. His insights into history of medicine, literature, and politics (defending in particular anti-fascist, liberal socialist, freethought and somehow anti-communist ideas) during the following years. Since his death, many essays have disappeared, with the first attempt at a comprehensive collection being this list. Some of his essays, mainly during his time as member of the Ring of Independents political party, took the form of pamphlets and were published and distributed (by himself) independently.

The following list contains the articles which are both registered in PubMed and can be considered as outstanding because of their scope, theme range or length:

Reviev: Theodor Oettli: ‘’The quack problem; comments on points made by H. Sutermeister.’’ [Zum Kurpfuscherproblem; Gedanken zu den Ausfürhrungen von H. Sutermeister.] In: Praxis

Volume 40, Issue 6, 8 February 1951, Pages 121-122. ISSN 0369-8394 PMID 14827825

Other cultural manifestation

Little waltz for violin and piano, 1949.
Audio file of Sutermeister’s Little Waltz (1949) for piano.

As a member of the so–called bernese nonconformists, Sutermeister spoke in the Junkere 37 (sometimes called Speakers' Corner of Bern). Some fragments of these manifestations are traceable in the Nonkonformismus Archiv Fredi Lerch.[27][28]

While Sutermeister was not known for his aesthetic work, he did compose two “little waltz” and a poem:

Personal life

Hans Martin married Ingeborg Marie Schulzke, with whom he had three daughters.

This literature-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 Gerhard Mauz. “Schuldig, weil wir keinen anderen haben: SPIEGEL-Reporter Gerhard Mauz über die Fehlurteilsjäger Hans Martin Sutermeister und Gustav Adolf Neumann.” In: Der Spiegel 18/28, April 1965, p. 116 (German).
  2. ↑ Hans Moehrlen (Pseudonym) (1942), Zwischen zwei Welten, Bern, Switzerland: Buchdruckerei Mettler & Salz A.G., ISBN 978-3-226-00030-6, OCLC 72283656
  3. ↑ “Swiss Says Swing Smoothly Soothes.” In: Billboard, January 17, 1948.
  4. 1 2 3 Betrifft Habilitationsgesuch des Dr. med. H. M. Sutermeister. Letter from Jakob Klaesi to Bernhard Walthard, September 6, 1954.
  5. ↑ Sutermeister, Hans Martin (1947). "Über die Wandlungen in der Auffassung des Krankheitsgeschehens". Gesundheit und Wohlfahrt. 27 (12): 417–460.
  6. ↑ Sutermeister, Hans Martin (1952). "Psychosomatik des Lachens und Weinens". Gesundheit und Wohlfahrt. 32 (6): 337–371.
  7. ↑ Sutermeister, Hans Martin (1955). "Schiller als Arzt: ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der psychosomatischen Forschung". Berner Beiträge zur Geschichte der Medizin und der Naturwissenschaften. Bern: Paul Haupt (13).
  8. 1 2 3 Marcel H. Bickel: Henry E. Sigerist: Vier ausgewählte Briefwechsel mit Medizinhistorikern der Schweiz. (Correspondence with Arnold C. Klebs, Bernhard Milt, Hans Fischer and Erich Hintzsche.) Peter Lang, Bern 2008. Pages 378 and 572–574. ISBN 978-3-03911-499-3
  9. ↑ Bähler, Anna; Bühler, Susanna; Erne, Emil; Lüthi, Christian (2003). "3:Stadtpolitik zwischen Patriziat und Frauenmehrheit" (PDF). In Barth, Robert. Bern - die Geschichte der Stadt im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert: Stadtentwicklung, Gesellschaft, Wirtschaft, Politik, Kultur (in German) (2nd ed.). Berne: Stämpfli Verlag AG. p. 153. ISBN 3-7272-1271-3. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  10. 1 2 Élections communales, année politique Suisse 1971, University of Bern (French - password required): A Berne, lors des élections à l'exécutif communal, les radicaux, grâce à A. Rollier, purent reprendre aux indépendants le siège qu'ils avaient dû céder de justesse à H. Sutermeister, personnalité souvent contestée durant l'exercice de son mandat.
  11. ↑ Klaus H. Thiele-Dohrmann, “Ruhestörung in Bern.” Die Zeit July 24, 1970 (German): in einem kleinen Privatkrieg heftig attackiert.
  12. ↑ “Der SPIEGEL berichtete: Schüler-Lehrerbeziehung.” Der Spiegel 28/1970, July 6, 1970: Wir lassen uns unsre heute noch gesunde Jugend und unsre freiheitliche westliche Kultur nicht durch solche eindeutig vom Osten gesteuerte Aufweichungstaktik unterminieren und “sturmreif” für den Kommunismus machen..
  13. ↑ see also
  14. ↑ "Ein gewisses Lächeln", Der Spiegel, 45/1960, 2 November 1960, p. 71 (German).
  15. ↑ Jürgen Thorwald, Blutiges Geheimnis, Munich: Droemer Knaur, 1969, OCLC 159809005, pp. 257-58 (German).
  16. ↑ Karl Peters. Sutermeister, Hans M.: Summa iniuria. Ein Pitaval der Justizirrtümer. Basel 1976. In: Zeitschrift für die gesamte Strafrechtswissenschaft. XXVI, vol.88, 1/1976, p.993-995 doi:10.1515/zstw.1976.88.4.978.
  17. ↑ Peters, Karl (1979). Justiz als Schicksal: ein Plädoyer für die andere Seite (in German). Berlin: De Gruyter. p. 192. ISBN 978-2-01-005712-0.
  18. ↑ The chapter is based on a 1955 public lecture on behalf of the Charitable Association of the City of Bern (Gemeinnütziger Verein) held at the University of Berne held lecture.
  19. ↑ In some chapters he recounts his experiences volunteering to fight penicilline smuggling in the Brenner Pass region after the Second World War with the UNRRA.
  20. ↑ The article (see p. 312) represents an answer to „Emil Walter’s «Kulturelle Gesundungskrise» and Jakob Bührers ‘Offener Brief (“open letter”) to Dr. Sutermeister’“.
  21. ↑ The article was a matter of an inquiry of the Swiss weekly magazine Die Weltwoche.
  22. ↑ „The film is here considered as an aid to a healthier emotional life. The cinema in the school and for the people at large is a form of collective therapy, but it constitutes a certain danger for adolescents who are particularly suggestible without having sufficient experience to serve as a counterweight. It is perhaps not so much the erotic element in the movies which is dangerous, but rather the illusions which they foster of social ascension without effort, and the glorification of idleness and of the easy life.“
  23. ↑ The article, which criticized medical "sensational" articles in the daily press, prompted the former editor in chief of the Der Bund, Dr. Walter Egger, to a replica, in which he tried to protect the press. Source: Vor 50 Jahren. Medizin und Presse. Gelesen im «Bund» vom 20. April 1950. In: Der Bund. Vol. 151, nr. 94, 20 April 2000, p. 48 (last page).
  24. ↑ Sutermeister wrote later on about the polemic issue: Commentary about Medizin und Presse „von H. M. Sutermeister, Ars Medici, 11, 749 (1963).“ In: Ars medici: Monatsschrift für Allgemeinmedizin. Band 54, 1964: „Der Autor ist mir bekannt; ich schätze ihn als originellen Geist, ferner als «schreibsam». Leider ist er idealistisch und gibt sich Illusionen hin. Die von Wüscher befürwortete systematische ärztliche «Gegenaufklärung» (page 755) zur Bekämpfung schädlicher medizinischer Falschmeldungen und «Zeitungsenten» ist illusorisch,“ as the commentary says (in German).
  25. ↑ Sutermeister relates this work to his article Zum heutigen Stand der ‘psychosomatischen Medizin’ of 1954 as well as to Zum heutigen Stand der ‘psychosomatischen’ Forschung of 1952.
  26. ↑ In connection with his article “On the Human Rights Day” (Zum Tag der Menschenrechte), Sutermeister deposited on 10 June 1968 in the Grand Council of Bern “a postulate that demanded both the revision of the Bernese law relating to criminal proceedings of 20 May 1928 as well as those of the so-called ‘’Asozialengesetzes’’ about, education and care measures of 3 October 1965, because both were contrary to those human rights convention in important ways. Source: Hans Martin Sutermeister: Summa Iniuria: Ein Pitaval der Justizirrtümer. Basel, 1976, p. 660.
  27. ↑ Lukas Dettwiler (creator of the inventary): Short biography of Hans Martin Sutermeister in the „Nonkonformismus Archiv Fredi Lerch.“ Swiss Literary Archives, 2011, with links to the Junkere 37 sources.
  28. ↑ Schulreform: Beobachtungen des städtischen Schuldirektors im Ausland. Bernese newspaper article, spring 1970.
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