After completing primary school in Adelebsen, Ernst entered the prestigious Max-Planck gymnasium in Göttingen, where he successfully passed the baccalaureate exam. His passion for medicine led him to study at the universities of Göttingen and Munich.
On March 10, 1905, Gräfenberg defended his doctoral thesis in Göttingen with his outstanding work entitled “The development of the bones, muscles and nerves of the hand and the forearm muscles involved in hand movements.” This work earned him recognition and a prize from the Petsche-Stiftung institution.
After obtaining his doctorate, Gräfenberg worked for a time at the Eye Clinic of the University of Würzburg. However, in the same year he decided to move to the gynecological clinic of the University of Kiel, where he collaborated with prominent doctors such as Richard Werth and, from 1908, Johannes Pfannenstiel. During his stay in Kiel, Gräfenberg published several works on metastasis (known as Gräfenberg theory) and egg implantation.
In 1910, Gräfenberg moved to Berlin, taking up the position of head of the gynecology section at the Berlin-Britz Hospital. His experience and knowledge in the field of gynecology made him a prominent figure in the medical community of the time.
He bravely participated as a volunteer in the First World War, being awarded the Iron Cross first and second class in recognition of his courage and sacrifice. Upon returning to Berlin after the conflict, in 1921 he married Rosa Goldschmidt, born in Mannheim on July 24, 1898. Their union had no children and they separated in 1924. Later, Rosa remarried Doctor Franz Ullstein. , son of Leopold Ullstein, and thirdly married Armin Widekind Bela Erich Maria Gottschalk, Count of Waldeck. Under the pseudonym Rosie Waldeck, Rosa published several books, demonstrating her literary talent.
In a grim turn of events, in 1933, he was expelled from his hospital job due to discriminatory policies against Jewish doctors. Furthermore, in 1939, he had his doctor's degree revoked (which was restored in 1954). Despite growing warnings about the danger posed by the situation in Berlin, Ernst Gräfenberg felt safe in the city until he was arrested in 1937. He spent several years in Brandenburg prison until 1940, and was sentenced to pay an exorbitant fine. fine of 199.000 Reichsmark. However, thanks to the sale of some properties and, above all, the invaluable support of foreign friends, such as Margaret Sanger, Ernst managed to regain his freedom.
After his release, he undertook a journey through Siberia and Japan until he reached California. His adventurous spirit and unwavering determination led him to explore new horizons. It was in New York where he finally found his final home, but his legacy extended far beyond geographic borders. Ernst Gräfenberg died in New York on October 28, 1957, leaving a lasting impact on the field of medicine and the fight for equality.
Work and research
Gräfenberg is known for her studies of the female genital system, especially in relation to orgasm. He designed the Gräfenberg ring and conducted studies on female ejaculation, but above all he is known for his studies of the Gräfenberg point or G-spot.
Ernst Gräfenberg created the first ring IUD in 1930, the Gräfenberg ring, made of silver filaments. His work was suppressed during the Nazi regime, when contraception was considered a threat to Aryan women. He moved to the United States, where his colleagues H. Hall and M. Stone took up his work after his death, and created the stainless steel Hall-Stone ring. A Japanese doctor named Tenrei Ota also developed a silver or gold IUD called the Precea or pressure ring.
Source: Wikipedia