Felix Deutsch—1884-1964

Friends, man is born and man dies, yet part of man lives on forever, and it is that aspect of Felix Deutsch that I would like to say a few words about in this Memorial Service.

To most of us here he was a colleague, teacher, and friend. A scientist who pioneered in the field of psychological medicine. I shall not endeavor to review for you his many contributions. We all know that he was a well-trained internist who had already made his mark in that area when he became more and more interested in psychoanalysis and its application to the broad field of medicine. He achieved the rank of Privatdozent in the University of Vienna, which did not look with particular favor on psychoanalysis.

We all knew Felix as a colleague, and as one who was always ready to render assistance to anyone of us confronted with a difficult diagnostic or therapeutic problem. We especially appreciated his broad background in internal medicine and his uncanny ability to go to the heart of the problem with a kind of empathy that was remarkable. The Hippocratic Oath states that "I swear by Apollo the physician, and Aesculapius, and Health, and All-heal, and all the gods and goddesses, that, according to my ability and judgment, I will keep this Oath and this stipulation—to reckon him who taught me this Art equally dear to me as my parents, to share my substance with him, and relieve his necessities if required; to look upon his offspring in the same footing as my own brothers, and to teach them this art, if they shall wish to learn it, without fee or stipulation; and that by precept, lecture, and every other mode of instruction, I will impart a knowledge of the Art to my own sons, and those of my teachers, and to disciples bound by a stipulation and oath according to the law of medicine, but to none others." I know of no one who more faithfully carried out the injunction to the physician to be a teacher. It seemed to me that this was really his true love in medicine—the gathering of knowledg