Fritz Dross

Prof. Dr. phil. Fritz Dross serves as Scientific Associate at the Institute for the History and Ethics of Medicine, Chair of the History of Medicine at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg. He has held significant leadership roles as Acting Chair and Director at multiple medical history institutes including University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (2018/19), University of Würzburg (2016), University of Bonn (2013/14), and Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (2010).

His academic credentials include:

• Habilitation at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (2008)
• Doctorate at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (2001-2003)
• Master's degree in Modern and Eastern European History and Information Science

Dross specializes in the History of Medicine with particular focus on municipal and territorial state poor relief and health care (16th-19th centuries), history of hospitals, social history of medicine in the early modern period, and urban history/microhistory. His research examines how disease, healthcare institutions, and social structures intersected historically, with particular attention to marginalized populations and the evolution of medical thought and practice.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong trajectory examining epidemic disease interpretation, Nazi medicine and ethics, early modern healthcare systems, and the social dimensions of disease. There's a clear progression from institutional hospital history toward more nuanced analyses of disease concepts, medical ethics, and the politics of healthcare provision across different historical periods.

His scientific recognition includes:

• Düsseldorfer Jonges Research Award (2002)

Dross has been actively involved in editorial work, serving as editor for publications like 'Objekte als Quellen der Medizingeschichte' (2021) and co-editing multiple volumes on medical history. He has participated in numerous research projects, including DFG-funded projects on hospital history and cataloging historical medical collections. His work frequently involves interdisciplinary collaboration with historians, medical professionals, and museum curators.

He serves on the board of the Erlangen-Nuremberg Medical History Association and the German-Polish Society for the History of Medicine, demonstrating his commitment to fostering international scholarly dialogue in medical history.