Johanna Hellman

Johanna Hellman (c. 14 June 1889 – 1982) was a female German and Swedish surgeon. She was the first female to be a member of the German Society for Surgery and contributed to surgical advancements in Germany and Sweden.

Education and career Johanna Hellman was born in Nuremberg, German Empire on 14 June 1889. After the start of World War I that year, she worked in the University of Kiel Hospital, completing her final licensing exam and wrote her doctoral thesis. Hellman died in 1982 in Stockholm.

Family Johanna Hellman was sister to Sophie Hellman (c. 1894–1979) who was also involved in German Healthcare as a nurse in World War I. Her father was David Hellman, a merchant, and her mother was Fanny née Kromwell of the Kromwell family of Gunzenhausen. Johanna Hellman was a mother to Irmgard Ahrendt, who she adopted during her time as a physician in Kiel during World War I. The young girls father was injured in the war, however, soon after his recovery he won back custody of his child. In 1938, during her time as a nanny, Hellman adopted another child. She cared for one family's fourth child full-time and eventually adopted the little girl. The adoption did not become official until 1966.