Deutsche Zeitschrift für Chirurgie (1872-1947) and Bruns Beiträge (1885-1974) and their connections to Langenbeck's Archive

Abstract

Introduction: At the end of the nineteenth century, three prominent German surgical journals (i.e., "Deutsche Zeitschrift für Chirurgie," "Bruns' Beiträge," and "Langenbeck's Archiv für Klinische Chirurgie") dominated the surgical academic scene in Germany. While written exclusively in German, these publications were widely read in Germany as well as abroad. Today, only the oldest of these journals, Langenbeck's Archiv, remains. In 1913, the "Zentralorgan für die gesamte Chirurgie" was instituted in Germany as a separate publication specifically dedicated to improve the communication of foreign scientific contributions. However, on a number of occasions, landmark papers from outside the country were not fully appreciated by the German readership, just as nowadays, key surgical papers published in German are only infrequently acknowledged in the Anglo-American scientific literature. At all times, innovative scientific works had a difficult time finding open ears and minds if they challenged long-held academic preconceptions. It appeared hard to question dogmas that readers had believed to be true for so long. After 1945, German surgery found itself eclipsed in many areas by new developments in the anglophone surgical communities since the academic exchange of ideas had been largely curtailed for more than a decade. English-speaking surgeons were more numerous, and the flow of communication became easier and more and more rapid.

Conclusion: Over time, the entire field of surgery in Germany began to emulate what had proven so effective in the English-speaking world. Langenbeck's Archiv is now published in English.