Erich Frank

Alfred Erich Frank (28 June 1884 – 13 February 1957) was a German-Jewish physician and internist. He held positions as chief physician in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) and professor of internal medicine at the University of Breslau and University of Istanbul. After fleeing Nazi Germany in 1933, Frank spent 23 years as director of the Second Department of Internal Medicine at Istanbul University, where he contributed to the development of internal medicine teaching in Turkey.

Early life and education Frank was born in Berlin in 1884 to Albert Frank, a Jewish merchant, and his wife Dorothea, née Jungmann.

Career

Germany (1908–1933) From 1908 to 1911, Frank worked in Wiesbaden on metabolism and diabetes research. He participated in clinical testing of Salvarsan with Paul Ehrlich and published studies on experimental diabetes with Simon Isaac.

Turkey (1933–1957) In 1933, Frank was dismissed from his university positions under Nazi racial laws.

From 1934 until his death in 1957, Frank directed the Second Department of Internal Medicine at Istanbul University's Faculty of Medicine. LMU Munich awards the Erich Frank Scholarship to medical students for study visits between Munich and Istanbul.

The Turkish government issued a commemorative stamp in 2007 marking the 50th anniversary of Frank's death.

Selected publications Über den genuinen orthostatischen Typ. Strasbourg, 1908. Innere Klinik der Nierenkrankheiten. 1941. Karbonhidrat Metabolizması Patolojisi. Istanbul, 1949. Klinik der Inneren Krankheiten. 3 vols., Istanbul, 1951–1956.