Fritz Dross

Prof. Dr. phil. Fritz Dross is a Scientific Associate at the Institute for the History and Ethics of Medicine at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), where he holds the Chair of the History of Medicine. His extensive academic career includes serving as Acting Chair and Director at multiple prestigious German medical history institutions: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (2018/19), University of Würzburg (2016 winter semester), Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn (2013/14 summer semester), and Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (2010). He completed his habilitation at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg in 2008 and earned his doctorate from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (2001-2003).

Dr. Dross's research spans several critical areas within medical history:

• History of hospitals and healthcare institutions from the early modern period through the 20th century
• Social history of medicine, particularly in early modern urban contexts
• History of epidemics, plague, and disease concepts
• Public health systems and poor relief from the 16th-19th centuries
• Nazi medicine and the persecution of Jewish physicians
• Medical ethics through historical perspectives

His scholarly output reveals a methodological approach that combines institutional history with microhistorical analysis, particularly focused on Nuremberg's medical landscape. Recent publications demonstrate increasing attention to biopolitical aspects of epidemic responses and critical examinations of medical ethics during the Nazi era, often in collaboration with Wolfgang Frobenius and Andreas Thum. His work on Jewish members of the German Society for Gynecology under National Socialism represents significant contribution to understanding medical persecution during this period.

Dr. Dross has received the Düsseldorfer Jonges Research Award (2002) and maintains active roles in professional organizations:

• Board member of the Erlangen-Nuremberg Medical History Association (since 2005)
• Board member of the German-Polish Society for the History of Medicine (since 2004)
• Former board member of the Düsseldorf Historical Society (1999-2004)

As Curator of the Medical Collection Erlangen since 2008, he has championed material culture approaches to medical history. His editorial work on publications like "Objekte als Quellen der Medizingeschichte" demonstrates commitment to innovative methodologies. Dr. Dross's international collaborations, particularly with Polish scholars, reflect his dedication to transcending national boundaries in medical historical research.