The electrocardiogram found its early footing through the medical inquiry of Georg Friedrich Nicolai, who co-authored a foundational text on the healthy and diseased human heart. Born Georg Lewinstein in 1874 Berlin, he navigated a career defined by both rigorous physiological research and high-stakes political dissent that eventually forced him to flee his native Germany.
Early Career and Cardiac Research
Nicolai completed his medical education at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. While practicing at the Charité, he developed a significant interest in the work of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov. During this period, he collaborated with internist Friedrich Kraus to produce the significant volume, Das Elektrokardiogramm des gesunden und kranken Menschen, which advanced the clinical understanding of heart activity.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Dissent During the First World War
At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Nicolai authored the Manifesto to the Europeans, an anti-war document signed by only three other intellectuals: Albert Einstein, Wilhelm Julius Förster, and Otto Buek. He subsequently published The Biology of War, an extensive critique of military conflict. The German authorities responded to his pacifist stance by demoting him and reassigning him to the remote Tuchola Forest region.
Exile and Academic Work in South America
Legal pressures mounted in 1917 when a court-martial accused him of violating press laws regarding his manuscript. After his book gained unauthorized distribution in Switzerland, Nicolai faced further lawsuits from the German military command. He escaped to Switzerland by organizing a military plane flight. Following a failed attempt to resume teaching in Berlin in 1920 due to student disruption, he emigrated to South America in 1922. He eventually secured positions at the National University of Córdoba in Argentina before moving to Chile.
Opposition to Nationalism
In the 1930s, Nicolai produced Das Natzenbuch, or A Natural History of National Socialist Movement and of Nationalism in General. Within this work, he identified nationalism as a primary threat to the future progression of the human species. He remained in South America for the remainder of his life, eventually dying in Santiago in 1964.
Fast facts
- Born: 1874, Berlin
- Died: 8 October 1964, Santiago
- Original Surname: Lewinstein
- Academic Training: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
- Notable Collaborator: Albert Einstein
- Key Publication: The Biology of War
- Citizenship: Germany
Questions readers ask
What was the significance of Nicolai's cardiac work?
He co-authored a seminal text on electrocardiography that analyzed heart function in both healthy individuals and patients.
Why did he leave Germany?
He faced legal action and court-martial proceedings due to his anti-war writings and pacifist manifesto, eventually fleeing the country to avoid further prosecution.
Achievements
- Held posts at Charité and National University of Córdoba
