21 Facts About Ludwig Guttmann

Ludwig Guttmann was born on 3 July 1899 to a German Jewish family, in the town of Tost, Upper Silesia, in the former German Empire, the son of Dorothy and Bernard Guttmann, a distiller.

When Ludwig Guttmann was three years old, the family moved to the Silesian city of Konigshutte.

Ludwig Guttmann started his medical studies in April 1918 at the University of Breslau.

Ludwig Guttmann transferred to the University of Freiburg in 1919 and received his Doctorate of Medicine in 1924.

Ludwig Guttmann learned from the pioneer of neurosurgery, Otfrid Foerster, at his research institute.

Ludwig Guttmann was scheduled to return to Germany via London, when the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics arranged for him to remain in the United Kingdom.

Ludwig Guttmann continued his spinal injury research at the Nuffield Department of Neurosurgery in the Radcliffe Infirmary.

In September 1943, the British government asked Ludwig Guttmann to establish the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire.

Ludwig Guttmann believed that sport was an important method of therapy for the rehabilitation of injured military personnel, helping them build up physical strength and self-respect.

At the 1956 Stoke Mandeville Games, Ludwig Guttmann was awarded the Sir Thomas Fearnley Cup by the International Olympic Committee for his meritorious achievement in service to the Olympic movement through the social and human value derived from wheelchair sports.

In 1961, Ludwig Guttmann founded the British Sports Association for the Disabled, which would later become known as the English Federation of Disability Sport.

Ludwig Guttmann was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1950 King's Birthday Honours, as "Neurological Surgeon in charge of the Spinal Injuries Centre at the Ministry of Pensions Hospital, Stoke Mandeville".

Ludwig Guttmann was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1960, and he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1966.

In 1961, Ludwig Guttmann founded the International Medical Society of Paraplegia, now the International Spinal Cord Society ; he was the inaugural president of the society, a position that he held until 1970.

Ludwig Guttmann became the first editor of the journal Paraplegia.

Ludwig Guttmann retired from clinical work in 1966 but continued his involvement with sport.

Ludwig Guttmann is buried at the Bushey Jewish Cemetery outside of London.

In June 2012, a life-sized cast-bronze statue of Ludwig Guttmann was unveiled at Stoke Mandeville Stadium as part of the run-up to the London 2012 Summer Paralympics and Olympic Games.

The Sir Ludwig Guttmann Centre is an NHS facility providing GP, Orthopaedic and Sports and Exercise Medicine outpatient services as well as imaging on the site of the 2012 Olympic village.

The Sir Ludwig Guttmann Lectureship was established by the International Medical Society of Paraplegia to recognize Guttmann's pioneering work and lifelong contribution to spinal cord care.

On 3 July 2021, a Google Doodle of Ludwig Guttmann was featured on the Google homepage for Ludwig Guttmann's 122nd birthday.