Friedrich Husemann

Friedrich Husemann (* June 13, 1887 in Blasheim/Lübbecke, Germany; † June 8, 1959 in Wiesneck/Buchenbach, Germany) was a German anthroposophical physician and psychiatrist.

Friedrich Husemann
Born	June 13, 1887 Blasheim/Lübbecke, Germany
Died	June 8, 1959 Wiesneck/Buchenbach

Life

Friedrich Husemann was the first son of a Lutheran country pastor. Originally he also wanted to study theology (his brother Gottfried did later), but then switched to medicine. While still a student, he met Rudolf Steiner 1909 in Geneva; he completed his training as a specialist in psychiatry in 1920 in the Landesanstalt Ellen near Bremen in Germany.

From 1921 - 1924, together with other pioneers like Ludwig Noll, Felix Peipers and Otto Palmer, he was active at the Clinical Therapeutic Institute in Stuttgart, in whose patient meetings Rudolf Steiner regularly participated.

In 1925 Husemann moved his activities to Günterstal near Freiburg im Breisgau, where at his request Margarethe Hauschka painted and sculptured with patients. There she researched the effect of working with Platonic Bodies in arts therapy, which is still being used today in the Husemann Clinic. Husemanns wife Minnie Husemann, née Volland, was one of the first eurythmists.

He developed a medical-therapeutic concept according to the guiding principle of anthroposophy. He divided it into the three areas

• body therapy by means of medicines and external applications,
• artistic therapy and
• psychotherapy.

In 1930, Friedrich Husemann founded the Wiesneck Sanatorium, the Friedrich Husemann Clinic now named after him, a specialist clinic for psychiatry and psychotherapy in Buchenbach near Freiburg, which is still largely based on Husemann's work today. During the Nazi era, Friedrich Husemann strove to save the lives of his patients by modifying diagnoses, hiding patients or bribing the local party official not to send checks to the clinic and was thereby able to ensure that none of them fell victim to the Nazi authorities as part of the "extermination of life unworthy of life". Three books that he published in 1935, 1938 and 1941 were destroyed by the Nazis.

He founded the standard work of anthroposophic medicine, Das Bild des Menschen als Grundlage der Heilkunst. Entwurf einer geisteswissenschaftlich orientierten Medizin [The Anthroposophical Approach to Medicine], of which he published the first two volumes in 1951 (Volume 1) and 1956 (Volume 2). It included a contribution by Margarethe Hauschka on Artistic Therapy. He collaborated with Otto Wolff who worked for seven years in his institute, became co-author and published the third volume.

Works

The Anthroposophical Approach to Medicine (Das Bild des Menschen als Grundlage der Heilkunst), 3 volumes:

• Husemann, Friedrich; Wolff, Otto (1982). The Anthroposophical Approach to Medicine: An Outline of a Spiritual Scientifically Oriented Medicine. 1. Anthroposophic Press. ISBN 978-0-88010-031-1.
  • From german: Zur Anatomie und Physiologie. Das Bild des Menschen als Grundlage der Heilkunst (in Deutsch). 1 (11. Aufl., 2. durchges. Aufl. d. überarb. und erw. 10. Aufl ed.). Stuttgart: Verl. Freies Geistesleben. 2003. ISBN 978-3-7725-0529-4.
• Husemann, Friedrich; Wolff, Otto (2014). The Anthroposophic Approach to Medicine. 2. Mercury Press. ISBN 978-1-935136-12-5.
  • From german: Zur allgemeinen Pathologie und Therapie / mit Beiträgen von Margarethe Hauschka-Stavenhagen. Das Bild des Menschen als Grundlage der Heilkunst (in Deutsch). 2. Margarethe Hauschka (ed.) (6., bearb. u. erw. Aufl ed.). Stuttgart: Verl. Freies Geistesleben. 2000. ISBN 978-3-7725-0530-0.CS1 maint: others (link)
• Husemann, Friedrich; Wolff, Otto (February 1989). The Anthroposophical Approach to Medicine. 3. Anthroposophic Press. ISBN 978-0-88010-273-5.
  • From german: Zur speziellen Pathologie und Therapie / mit Beitr. von Guus van der Bie. Das Bild des Menschen als Grundlage der Heilkunst (in Deutsch). 3. Guus van der Bie (ed.) (Überarb. u. erw. 4. Aufl ed.). Stuttgart: Verl. Freies Geistesleben. 1993. ISBN 978-3-7725-0531-7.CS1 maint: others (link)