50th Anniversary of the Department of Pediatric Surgery in Berlin-Buch

The 50th anniversary of “Kinderchirurgische Klinik” in the former Städtisches Hufeland-Krankenhaus, today HELIOS Klinikum Berlin, Klinikum Buch, will be celebrated on December 10, 2006. Buch is a district in northeastern Berlin.

In 1956, a pediatrician, Professor Kirchmair, was the first to suggest the founding of a department of Pediatric Surgery in Berlin. The surgeon Professor Klose said to one of his senior surgeons, Dr. Ilse Krause, the legendary sentence: “My dear girl, you will do that!” So Dr. sc. med. Ilse Krause (1917 - 1984) made first steps to set up the department in December, 1956. After overcoming many initial problems and difficulties it grew up to 56 beds. The first medical team consisted of two female pediatricians, one surgeon, one urologist, and an anesthetist. In the course of years the number of beds grew to 133 to meet all requirements. For a time there were 26 staff members. Next to the Department of Pediatric Surgery at Leipzig University the Department in Buch became one of the largest pediatric surgical hospitals in the former GDR. So just in the pioneer era of pediatric surgery, Ilse Krause was one of the outstanding personalities who shaped this specialty, also with respect to politics of the profession, over years until her resignation in 1978. She was the first who lectured pediatric surgery at the Faculty of Medicine of Humboldt-University, Berlin.

Fig. 1 Dr. sc. med. Ilse Krause

The scale of subspecialties that developed within the department attracted numerous pediatric surgical trainees for further education. Five colleagues later became professors, and seven heads of departments. The department held the chair at Akademie für Ärztliche Fortbildung der DDR (East German Academy for Postgraduate Medical Training), being responsible for the nationwide training of future pediatric surgeons in Eastern Germany. Scientific meetings were organized. Papers were read on national and international congresses, and a multitude of articles were published. Staff members were honored by nine Honorary Memberships of German and international Associations.

Since 1978, Prof. Dr. K. Gdanietz lead the department (since 1977 first appointed pediatric surgeon of the Charité Berlin). Since 1993 it was headed by Dr. G. Borgwardt who gained international reputation in the fields of intersex and medical history.

1998 Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. K. Schaarschmidt became head of the department.

During these four periods of management the profile of the department with neonatal surgery, pediatric urology, plastic and reconstructive surgery, surgery on the hand, traumatology, thoracic surgery, tumor surgery, and pediatric gynecology was maintained. Closely attached were a first-aid unit as well as (until 1989) an outpatient department. The department was authorized to cover the 6-year-long training of pediatric surgeons.

At present there are 40 beds. Under the direction of Prof. Schaarschmidt an expansion of minimal invasive surgery took place offering special operative procedures to patients from Europe and even overseas. The department achieved an international clinical and scientific reputation particularly in the field of endoscopic abdominal and thoracic surgery. An exceptional tradition at Buch is the intense interdisciplinary care for every single child. This attitude is meeting a demand of Ilse Krause, expressed in 1966 on the 10th anniversary of the department and directed to future generations of pediatric surgeons: “Figures by themselves do not mean much. But they represent children, sick children! Even if we were able to improve the fate of a single sick child, that is of a single human being, these 10 years of work were worthwile.”

Next year the department will move into Europe's largest privately founded new hospital building, in which all branches of a Center for Mother and Child are closely interlocked.