Arthur and Fritz Kahn Collection

Arthur Kahn

Arthur Kahn was born in Gross-Gerau, Hessen on September 9, 1850, the youngest son of Cantor Nathan Kahn and Juliane Hirsch. From 1878 through 1886, Arthur Kahn studied medicine in Berlin, Bonn, Marburg, Munich, Strasbourg, and Zurich. In June 1886 he received his doctoral diploma from the Friedrich Wilhelms University in Berlin and started to practice in Bonn. Around 1887 [exact date unknown], he married Hedwig Schmul, born in Halle on August 26, 1860. Arthur Kahn was Hedwig Schmul’s second husband. Before their son Fritz Kahn was born on September 29, 1888 Arthur and Hedwig separated, but never officially divorced.

In summer 1889 Arthur Kahn decided to immigrate to the United States. The couple, who reunited shortly before Arthur left for America, kept in touch via mail. At the time, Hedwig Kahn lived in Halle. Originally, she had planned to follow Arthur to New York. According to the records, she was not able due to Arthur Kahn’s unstable financial situation. In fact, she supported him financially during his first years in the United States, even though he was a practicing physician in New York City.

While living in New York between 1889 and 1900, Arthur Kahn travelled to Germany at least once, in 1896. After permanently returning to Germany in 1900, Arthur Kahn settled together with his family in Berlin-Charlottenburg where he established himself as a writer.

During his time in Berlin, he became part of the Jewish Community and later a member of the Israelitischer Religionsverein Charlottenburg e.V., a rather Orthodox-minded association. In 1913, Arthur Kahn was part of a group of Berlin Jews who (re)established the Chewra Kadisha, a traditional burial society. Kahn was also engaged in many other social projects. In 1903, he became the founder of the Hilfsverein für die juedischen Taubstummen in Deutschland (Friends for Deaf and Mute Jews in Germany), followed by the Jüdische Altershilfe (Jewish Senior Aid) in 1913. Furthermore, he was associated with the Verein zur Förderung der Bodenkultur (Society for the Advancement of Soil Culture), the Montefiore-Loge, and the Verein zur Erhaltung des überlieferten Judentums (Society for the Conservation of Traditional Judaism).

Arthur Kahn died in Berlin on July 16, 1928, two days after his wife, Hedwig Kahn had passed away. He and his wife are buried in the Jewish cemetary in Berlin Weissensee.

Fritz Kahn

Fritz Kahn was born in Halle on September 29, 1888 to Arthur Kahn and his wife Hedwig Kahn (née Schmul). He first attended school in Halle, and later the Sophien-Gymnasium in Berlin. After graduating school in 1907, Fritz Kahn studied medicine. He finished his studies completing his dissertation on Das Versehen der Schwangeren in Volksglaube und Dichtung in 1912, and started to practice as a gynecologist in Berlin.

During his studies, Fritz Kahn became involved with writing articles on popular sciences. Some of his early writings on the subjects of astronomy and aviation were published as articles . Besides his dissertation, his first book, Die Milchstrasse, focusing on astronomy, was published in 1914, followed in 1919 by Die Zelle, which deals with the function of the human cell. In 1920 he published a book on the Race question, Die Juden als Rasse und Kulturvolk. One of his most well-known works, Das Leben des Menschen, a five volume edition on the human body, was published between 1922 and 1932. Around 1914, Fritz Kahn served in the military during World War I. Some of his war experiences were reflected in articles as well.

Shortly before Hitler came on power in 1933, Fritz Kahn travelled to Palestine, where he started to work on his manuscript Die Naturgeschichte Palestinas (The Natural History of Palestine). Because of the political situation in Germany, he was not able to return there. Eventually, he became a citizen of Palestine and settled in Jerusalem. In 1939, Fritz Kahn left Palestine for France and Portugal before he was able to immigrate to the United States early in 1941 with the help of Varian Fry and Albert Einstein.

Following his arrival in New York, Fritz Kahn was not only able to continue his carrier as a writer, but moreover was viewed as one of the world’s foremost popular writers on medical and biological subjects. Several of his publications were translated into different languages. He lectured frequently at various assemblies, conferences and schools. He also appeared in radio broadcasts where he discussed medical and popular scientific questions. The function of the human body was a common topic in most of Fritz Kahn’s writings, including such works of his as Our Sex Life (1939), Man In Structure And Function (1943), and The Human Body (1966).

Fritz Kahn, who was married to Irma Glogau, died in Lugano, Switzerland on January 14, 1968.