Hans Martin Sutermeister facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hans Martin Sutermeister
|
|
|---|---|
Sutermeister in 1961
|
|
| Born | 29 September 1907 |
| Died | 4 May 1977 (aged 69) Basel, Switzerland
|
| Citizenship | Swiss |
| Alma mater | University of Basel |
| Known for | activism against miscarriages of justice |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Hans Martin Sutermeister (born September 29, 1907 – died May 4, 1977) was a Swiss doctor, writer, and politician. He was also known for fighting against unfair legal decisions, called "miscarriages of justice."
Contents
Life Story
Growing Up
Hans Martin Sutermeister was born into a family of talented people. His father was Freidrich Sutermeister and his mother was Maria Hunziker. His brothers included Peter, a writer, and Heinrich, a composer. His grandfather, Otto Sutermeister, was a folklorist who studied traditional stories and customs.
Hans Martin first studied theology in Germany. But he later switched to medicine at the University of Basel in Switzerland. In 1941, he earned his medical degree. He then published a book using the pen name "Hans Moehrlen." This book was about his own life and his ideas about happiness and science.
In the years that followed, Sutermeister wrote many articles about medical thinking. He was very interested in how our minds and bodies are connected. This field is called psychosomatic medicine. He also studied the psychology of music.
Working as a Doctor
During World War II, Hans Martin Sutermeister helped people in need. He worked as a doctor for the United Nations in Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. He also worked as a physician at the Swiss border.
After the war, he wrote for medical journals. He also taught about how the mind affects the body at a school in Bern. In 1945, he opened his first family medical practice in Bern.
In the early 1950s, Sutermeister wanted to teach at the University of Bern. He submitted several important papers. These included studies on how people see illness, the psychology of laughter and crying, and the famous writer Friedrich Schiller as a doctor.
A medical historian named Erich Hintzsche liked Sutermeister's work. However, Hintzsche later decided not to let Sutermeister become a professor.
Becoming a Politician
Hans Martin Sutermeister joined a political party called the Ring of Independents. He began his political career in the government of the Canton of Bern. From 1967 to 1971, he was in charge of the city's schools.
As the school director, he supported the idea of "comprehensive schools." These schools aim to educate all students together, no matter their background. He was known for being a forward-thinking person in his party.
However, he also caused some debate. He strongly criticized a book called The Little Red Schoolbook. This book came from the student protests of 1968 and encouraged students to question society's rules. Sutermeister's actions showed different opinions within his party. Because of this, he was not re-elected in 1971.
In 1972, he opened a new family medical practice in Basel.
Fighting for Justice
In the 1960s, Sutermeister became very interested in forensic pathology. This is the study of how medical science can help solve crimes. He started investigating cases where he believed people were wrongly found guilty. He traveled widely and wrote about how mistakes can happen in court. For example, he studied how people might be wrongly identified or how expert opinions might be accepted without enough thought.
His book Summa Iniuria is a very detailed German-language work on this topic. It looks at hundreds of cases. He was especially concerned about the case of Pierre Jaccoud. Sutermeister believed Jaccoud was wrongly convicted of murder due to mistakes in the forensic work. He even helped raise money to hire lawyers to try and reopen Jaccoud's case, but it was never reopened.
A legal expert named Karl Peters praised Sutermeister's book. He called Sutermeister a "committed fighter for a fair legal system."
Personal Life
Hans Martin Sutermeister married Ingeborg Marie Schulzke. They had three daughters together.
See also
In Spanish: Hans Martin Sutermeister para niños
