Eduard Bloch, a physician based in Linz, served as the family doctor to Adolf Hitler and his parents during the early 1900s. Operating from a private practice at 12 Landstrasse, he gained a reputation for providing affordable care to local residents, including the indigent, before the political climate of the late 1930s fundamentally altered his life and professional status.
Medical Career in Linz
Born in 1872 at Hluboká nad Vltavou, Bloch attended the German University in Prague Medical School and Charles University to earn his Doctor of Medicine. After serving as a medical officer in the Austrian army until 1901, he established a private practice in Linz. He lived at his office with his wife, Emilie, and their daughter, Trude, born in 1903.
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Bloch provided medical treatment to the Hitler family beginning in 1904. While later reports suggested Adolf Hitler suffered from a lung ailment during this period, Bloch maintained that he treated the youth only for minor conditions like tonsillitis. When Klara Hitler faced a terminal breast cancer diagnosis in 1907, Bloch administered daily iodoform treatments. Due to the family's financial limitations, he often waived his fees, earning him a postcard of gratitude from Adolf Hitler in 1908.
Protection and Emigration
Following the 1938 annexation of Austria, Bloch faced the closure of his practice in October. As a Jewish resident in Linz, he sought assistance through a direct letter to Adolf Hitler. Consequently, he received unique protection from the Gestapo, remaining the only Jewish citizen in the city with such status. This protection allowed him to sell his family home at market value and secure permission to remove 16 Reichsmarks from the country before departing for the United States.
Final Years in the United States
Upon arriving in the United States in 1940, Bloch settled in the Bronx, New York. Because his medical credentials from Austria-Hungary were not recognized by American authorities, he was unable to continue his clinical practice. He resided in the Bronx until his death from stomach cancer in 1945 at age 73, passing away shortly after Adolf Hitler.
Fast facts
- Born: 1872, Hluboká nad Vltavou
- Died: 1945, The Bronx
- Occupation: Physician
- Education: Charles University; German University in Prague Medical School
- Citizenship: Austria, Nazi Germany, Cisleithania
- Burial site: Beth David Cemetery
- Practice location: 12 Landstrasse, Linz
Questions readers ask
Did Eduard Bloch continue his medical practice in America?
No, he could not practice medicine in the United States because his Austrian medical degree was not recognized.
Why was Eduard Bloch granted protection during the Nazi regime?
After Bloch wrote to Adolf Hitler following the annexation of Austria, he was granted Gestapo protection and labeled an Edeljude, or noble Jew.
