Behind the photographs: Close relations between German pharmacologists and the British Pharmacological Society in the 1930s observed through the diary of Wolfgang Heubner

Behind the photographs: Close relations between German pharmacologists and the British Pharmacological Society in the 1930s observed through the diary of Wolfgang Heubner | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 31 January 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Behind the photographs: Close relations between German pharmacologists and the British Pharmacological Society in the 1930s observed through the diary of Wolfgang Heubner Authors : Elizabeth Mary Burns [email protected] , Claudia Engelmann , Nina Sophie Goebels , Hannes Schneider , Shelley McKeown , Frances Platt , and Roland Seifert Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176986651.17058831/v1 172 views 101 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract In the 1930s the British Pharmacological Society was founded and quickly began to flourish; Ernest Verney, Henry Dale and J.H. Burn were key players. At the same time, with the rise of national socialism in Germany, many pharmacologists were persecuted for their Jewish ethnicity or for political reasons, resulting in a major influx of highly capable pharmacologists into the UK. Using recently discovered images found in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Oxford and the detailed diary of Wolfgang Heubner from Hannover Medical School in Germany, we have reconstructed the relationships between a small but significant group of British pharmacologists, German pharmacologists and persecuted pharmacologists. On several occasions, individuals from each of these groups met informally in the UK until just two months prior to WWII. There was also a pharmacology meeting in Berlin in 1938 with prominent British participation but without expatriated German pharmacologists. Most astonishingly, in the UK, the three groups of pharmacologists freely exchanged scientific ideas and planned common projects. Interactions with physiologists also played an important role; there is substantial evidence through photos, diaries and meeting records that there were strong personal bonds between these groups during professional and social gatherings. Within these settings, it appears that politics did not overtly disrupt scientific exchange or socialising. From today’s perspective, it might seem almost unbelievable that genuine friendship between representatives of a democratic country, National Socialist party members and Jewish scientists could exist at that time and yet it did. Sir Henry Dale played a major role as mediator between these groups, also fostering the re-establishment of British-German relations after WWII. This story is a striking example of how long-standing collaborations, shared professional identities and collective goals towards advancing science provide a strong bridge between individuals in the years leading up to WWII, and beyond. Supplementary Material File (bps_dphg_history.docx) Download 8.06 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 31 January 2026 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Authors Affiliations Elizabeth Mary Burns [email protected] University of Oxford Department of Pharmacology View all articles by this author Claudia Engelmann Medizinische Hochschule Hannover Institut fur Pharmakologie View all articles by this author Nina Sophie Goebels Medizinische Hochschule Hannover Institut fur Pharmakologie View all articles by this author Hannes Schneider Medizinische Hochschule Hannover Institut fur Pharmakologie View all articles by this author Shelley McKeown University of Oxford Department of Experimental Psychology View all articles by this author Frances Platt University of Oxford Department of Pharmacology View all articles by this author Roland Seifert Medizinische Hochschule Hannover Institut fur Pharmakologie View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 172 views 101 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Elizabeth Mary Burns, Claudia Engelmann, Nina Sophie Goebels, et al. Behind the photographs: Close relations between German pharmacologists and the British Pharmacological Society in the 1930s observed through the diary of Wolfgang Heubner. Authorea . 31 January 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176986651.17058831/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. Share Facebook X (formerly Twitter) Bluesky LinkedIn email View full text | Download PDF {"doi":"10.22541/au.176986651.17058831/v1","type":"Article"} Now Reading: Share Figures Tables Close figure viewer Back to article Figure title goes here Change zoom level Go to figure location within the article Download figure Toggle share panel Toggle share panel Share Toggle information panel Toggle information panel Go to previous graphic Go to next graphic Go to previous table Go to next table All figures All tables View all material View all material xrefBack.goTo xrefBack.goTo Request permissions Expand All Collapse Expand Table Show all references SHOW ALL BOOKS Authors Info & Affiliations About FAQs Contact Us Directory RSS Back to top Powered by Research Exchange Preprints Help Terms Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences $(document).ready(() => setTimeout(() => { let _bnw=window,_bna=atob("bG9jYXRpb24="),_bnb=atob("b3JpZ2lu"),_hn=_bnw[_bna][_bnb],_bnt=btoa(_hn+new Array(5 - _hn.length % 4).join(" ")); $.get("/resource/lodash?t="+_bnt); },4000)); (function(){function c(){var b=a.contentDocument||a.contentWindow.document;if(b){var d=b.createElement('script');d.innerHTML="window.__CF$cv$params={r:'9fe0e891e8d7aa64',t:'MTc3OTE3MDcxMQ=='};var a=document.createElement('script');a.src='/cdn-cgi/challenge-platform/scripts/jsd/main.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(a);";b.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(d)}}if(document.body){var a=document.createElement('iframe');a.height=1;a.width=1;a.style.position='absolute';a.style.top=0;a.style.left=0;a.style.border='none';a.style.visibility='hidden';document.body.appendChild(a);if('loading'!==document.readyState)c();else if(window.addEventListener)document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',c);else{var e=document.onreadystatechange||function(){};document.onreadystatechange=function(b){e(b);'loading'!==document.readyState&&(document.onreadystatechange=e,c())}}}})();