A Fight in Silence

by Melanie Metzenthin

  Paula’s area of responsibility included treating child diphtheria cases. Inoculation had been available for a couple of years but the disease was still widespread. Without treatment requiring an antitoxin serum prepared using equine blood, diphtheria usually resulted in death. During her first few days of work, Paula found herself repeatedly thinking of her mother, who had died of the disease when Paula had still been a little girl. As there’d been no inoculation in those days, she hadn’t been allowed to enter her mother’s sickroom.

  Now, when she was treating the children, whether painting their throats, administering injections or tending to the terrible skin lesions that were sometimes a complication of the condition, she wondered over and over how much her mother had suffered in her final days. Had her neck been so swollen that she could hardly breathe? Or had her heart simply given up the fight, as had just happened with little Peter Melchior, apparently well on the way to recovery, only to die quite unexpectedly? She knew it was futile to dwell on these things but found it hard to banish these thoughts.

  For Paula, diphtheria became a bogeyman. The sickness appeared in so many different guises, causing not only the agony of suffocation but also sudden heart failure and severe paralysis, and she wondered why health officials didn’t place greater value on getting every child inoculated. She acknowledged that the jab didn’t give full protection because three of her little charges had fallen sick in spite of having been inoculated, but at least for them the symptoms were not as severe.

  ‘It’s always a matter of education and money,’ said Dr Stamm when Paula spoke to him about it. ‘As you can see, there are children here from all levels of society, but those from working-class homes are clearly in the majority. The families often don’t know about the usefulness and value of inoculation, and although most working families are part of the health insurance system, they only go to the doctor once their own methods have failed. If a child suddenly develops a sore throat and painful swallowing, most mothers try to clear it up with hot poultices or camomile tea first. Few of them seem to realise that it could be anything fatal like diphtheria, and by the time they have an accurate diagnosis most of the children in the household, and the majority of the adults, are all infected.’

  ‘Why don’t we set more store on education and prevention being provided by the midwife at birth? Or by health visitors?’

  ‘Now that really would be a blessing, but so far there haven’t been the necessary means,’ Dr Stamm said with a sigh of regret. ‘The law on public health does need urgent reform, but I fear that our politicians have other things on their minds at the moment.’

  Soon after this conversation, Paula was approached by Sister Elfriede, an enthusiastic young nurse with a mass of freckles and strawberry blonde hair who Paula had always found to be exceptionally hard-working and caring in the way she dealt with the children.

  ‘You’re absolutely right, Doctor,’ said Sister Elfriede. ‘Healthcare in this country is a disgrace, but there is a solution. If you want, I can tell you a bit about it.’

  ‘Please do, Sister Elfriede.’

  ‘I’ve been a member of People’s Welfare for a few weeks now. We’re not registered as an association yet, but we’re working on it. The aim is to provide healthcare support to struggling families and lone mothers. This is not only about educating and providing information but also about caring for infants and offering balanced nutrition for children. We concentrate our efforts on those otherwise shunned by society. We rely on voluntary donations, but our organisation is growing all the time.’ Sister Elfriede reached into her uniform pocket for a leaflet. ‘If you’re interested in becoming a member, here’s all you need to know,’ she said, handing it to Paula. ‘You can keep this one – I’ve got plenty of others. I’ve been involved in Workers’ Welfare for a long time, but its structures are as old as the hills and the people in charge care only about their own advancement. There are no new ideas there, no new blood. That’s why I was so inspired by the aims of People’s Welfare.’ She gave a cheeky wink. ‘I’ve already recruited eleven new members here.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Paula said, putting the leaflet in the pocket of her white coat. ‘That sounds like a tremendous opportunity to put help where it’s needed.’

  ‘At last, someone’s had a good idea,’ commented Leonie later when Paula showed her the leaflet. ‘I notice it’s been set up by a private foundation in Berlin and I think it’s time to engage with more of these, instead of pinning our hopes on political parties.’

  ‘The minimum monthly contribution is only fifty pfennig,’ said Paula. ‘I think it’s my duty as a doctor to go for five marks a month.’

  ‘So you’re going to join?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Good, me too. And I’ll persuade my father. The money’s bound to be put to good use. I particularly like what they do for lone mothers.’

  ‘Is that in case you’re ever looking for a handsome beast to sire your children so you don’t have to marry?’ Paula teased.

  ‘Don’t be daft,’ Leonie said with a laugh. ‘No, I think it’s time people stopped looking down on women with illegitimate children. Nobody speaks ill of a man with illegitimate children all over the place, quite the opposite in fact – he’s seen as a bit of a lad. But the women are always seen as tramps. They’re the ones who need the support after falling foul of one of those lousy lechers. And children can’t be blamed for the way their parents have behaved.’

  ‘You’re right on everything except one point. Men like that are not seen in a good light. You should hear Richard on the subject.’

  ‘Does he believe in castrating them?’ Leonie grinned.

  ‘No, not quite. But he might have thrown around words like “sterilisation” when he’s been ranting about it.’

  ‘I can just imagine him saying that,’ said Leonie. ‘It’s a shame not all men are like Richard.’

  When Paula showed the leaflet to her husband that evening, he was equally enthusiastic and suggested they jointly donate ten marks a month. Like Leonie, he thought it a good sign that this was run by a private body with charitable status and no political aim.

  The overall economic position remained bad and the number of people out of work kept on rising. Even Richard’s father’s carpentry business hit a slack period as commissions slowed. Most customers were restricting themselves to repairs only and hardly anyone was ordering a whole new piece of furniture. There was enough work not to have to get rid of any staff, but for the first time in years Hans-Kurt Hellmer couldn’t afford to take on any apprentices.

  On the streets there was yet more criminality, and burglary was an increasing problem. There were repeated break-ins at the workshop, so Richard’s father got himself two guard dogs, who slept in there overnight. The break-ins suddenly stopped.

  As the days grew shorter and the nights drew in, Richard stuck to his word and drove Paula to the children’s hospital in the morning before heading off to Langenhorn; he would then pick her up again at the end of the day. Leonie loved teasing Paula about this, but every time he offered her a lift she was very glad to accept.

  At Christmas, Richard and Paula were invited, as usual, to his parents’ to share in the family’s roast goose. Paula wasn’t feeling that well, but she kept quiet about it as she didn’t want to spoil the visit home for Richard. She told herself it was probably the two exhausting night shifts she’d done in the week before Christmas.

  Richard’s mother had prepared and stuffed the goose, and while everyone else enthused about the appetising smells coming from the oven, Paula just felt nauseous.

  Richard’s father was in a particularly jovial mood. ‘We always have a proper goose here, but I’m not so sure about the neighbours. Maybe they’ve poached a couple of swans off the Alster!’

  Everyone burst out laughing at the thought, but Paula knew she couldn’t hang on any longer and rushed to the toilet to be sick. She’d hoped she would feel better after that but her stomach carried on rebelling
until she was bringing up nothing more than bile.

  Richard had followed her and knocked on the door to the lavatory. ‘Everything all right?’

  ‘Yes, just feel a bit sick. Do go back to the table; I’ll be right there.’ But she found herself retching again, even though there was nothing left in her stomach.

  Richard waited outside the door until she emerged. He was the picture of concern, and Paula wondered whether he’d been going through all the serious illnesses that nausea might indicate and whether he would now examine her for other symptoms.

  ‘It’s all fine,’ she said, trying to reassure him. ‘You don’t need to look so worried.’

  ‘Yes, but you’re working on the isolation ward, and anything can happen there.’

  Margit, who’d been helping their mother in the kitchen, caught the last few words.

  ‘That’s just typical of my smart-alec doctor brother,’ she said with a smirk. ‘You don’t think of the most obvious thing! And as the big expert on birth control, you couldn’t possibly admit it!’

  Richard whipped around to face her. ‘What are you on about?’

  Paula stood there, working out when she’d had her last period. ‘I think Margit might be right,’ she said at last.

  ‘And about time too!’ commented Margit. ‘You’ve been married for three years!’

  She went off, leaving the two of them together.

  ‘Do you really think that’s it?’

  Paula nodded. ‘I think I even know when. Do you remember that evening at the little wine bar? And when—’

  ‘Yes, yes, I remember.’ He cut in and then lowered his voice. ‘Don’t go into that here. Margit’s eavesdropping knows no limits.’

  ‘Heard that!’ shouted Margit from the living room.

  ‘Quod erat demonstrandum,’ sighed Richard. He put his arms around his wife. ‘I predict we’ll be washing nappies next summer instead of heading to the coast.’

  ‘We could always find a resort with a laundry!’ Paula said, twinkling at him, and somehow the nausea disappeared, leaving her feeling only excitement for the future.

  Chapter 18

  Paula continued working at the children’s hospital in spite of her pregnancy, something which irritated colleagues, who felt that, as a married woman with a husband earning enough money to keep her in what was then deemed as ‘the appropriate manner’, she should have been at home. Even Dr Stamm had asked her whether, given her condition, she wanted to carry on working with seriously ill children. He added that any maternal infection could eventually have a serious impact on the unborn child. Paula assured him that she wanted to have a full year of professional practice at the hospital to look back on and would work until the end of May, seeing as her due date wasn’t until August.

  Dr Stamm agreed, but from then on Paula was no longer responsible for the isolation ward.

  In spite of the economic problems that continued to dominate at national level, the early months of 1932 went well for Richard and Paula. Her pregnancy ran smoothly and Richard was officially awarded his status as a consultant in psychiatry. Then, when Dr Morgenstern retired in April 1932, Richard and Dr Krüger found themselves in competition for the post, and to Richard’s delight, he won.

  ‘You see,’ he said to Paula on the evening after his success, ‘I’m well on the road to keeping my promise to you. This is the next step towards becoming lead consultant, and by the time I get there, our child will be much older and you’ll be able to find your dream job.’

  ‘Will you just stop and let me say how incredibly proud I am of you?’

  ‘Absolutely – that’s just what I want to hear. So?’

  ‘I am incredibly proud of you, Mr Consultant.’

  As Richard held Paula close and gently stroked her rounded belly, he noticed an open envelope on the sideboard.

  ‘Who’s writing to us from Berlin?’

  ‘Oh, I’d forgotten all about that.’ She broke away from his embrace and picked up the letter. ‘You remember People’s Welfare? The charity we give ten marks a month to?’

  Richard nodded.

  ‘They’ve written to say they are now a registered association under new trustees. They’ve already sent us new membership cards and we don’t need to do anything else. Here, see for yourself.’

  She took the two membership cards out of the envelope.

  Richard took the bright red pass with his name on it.

  The Gothic lettering at the top proclaimed N.S. VOLKSWOHLFAHRT – NATIONAL SOCIALIST PEOPLE’S WELFARE. Beneath that was Richard’s name, his date of birth and his address. Further down were two boxes waiting to be filled in, one headed: NSDAP MEMBERSHIP NUMBER, the other headed: NSDAP ENTRY DATE. The card was stamped with the swastika used by the NSDAP.

  ‘So the NSDAP has taken over People’s Welfare?’

  Paula nodded. ‘I’m not sure what we should do. I assume they expect us to continue to support it, no matter who the trustees are.’

  ‘You’re right, that’s exactly what they expect. But we signed up with them precisely because they weren’t answerable to any party-political thinking; otherwise, we would just have donated to Workers’ Welfare. This makes a nonsense of the fundamental principle.’

  ‘My fundamental principle is to support struggling families so they can get health care and good information about how to control infectious diseases like diphtheria,’ Paula shot back.

  ‘What’s Leonie saying about it? Has she been sent a membership card like this?’

  ‘I don’t know. I only found the envelope when I got home.’

  ‘Perhaps you should ask her.’ Richard gestured towards the telephone. ‘I can’t imagine Leonie keeping any membership that’s suggestive of joining the NSDAP. They have a nerve, leaving a space here where you’re supposed to write in your party membership number.’

  ‘No need to get so worked up about it. I’m not mad on the idea either, but I ask myself whether it’s right to discount them simply because one doesn’t agree with every item on their list of objectives.’

  ‘Not every item?’ Richard snorted with rage. ‘Which particular item do you agree with the Nazis about?’

  ‘OK, then, the idea of People’s Welfare!’

  ‘What else?’ Richard said, probing further and clearly furious. ‘What else, precisely, do you agree with the Nazis about?’

  ‘What’s the matter with you, Richard?’

  ‘I only want to know what you think. Do you also believe that we need safe streets again and that we need more jobs to stop the people suffering? That our people must be great again and need a voice on the world stage?’

  ‘Yes, I do,’ replied Paula angrily, ‘but that doesn’t make me a Nazi. Of course I’d like to be able to walk the streets alone at night again. Of course I’d like to see the back of this economic crisis, people finding work again and all those little ghost shops reopened and full of life. Who doesn’t want all that? Or perhaps you don’t?’

  ‘I don’t want anything with the swastika on it in my home!’ Richard shouted. ‘And I will not pay into an organisation that supports the NSDAP.’

  ‘And exactly why are you shouting at me?’

  ‘Because you’re seriously considering staying in this Nazi organisation!’

  ‘Yes, I’m “considering” it, Richard. It’s not a crime to consider something, it just demonstrates a bit of intelligence! Starting to bellow whenever you see a swastika is just primitive. You’ll be beating your chest like a gorilla next!’

  ‘You know what? Fine.’ Richard’s voice had dropped, but his anger hadn’t. ‘You just carry on considering it. I’m off for a stroll around the jungle so that your deliberations are not interrupted by my primitive behaviour.’ He picked up his coat and left.

  Paula took some deep breaths. In many ways, she shared his opinion, but she was angry that he wasn’t prepared to break down the issues a bit first. Did they really have to give up everything that as far as Richard was concerned had the wrong political
leaning?

  She phoned Leonie to see what she thought about it.

  ‘Oh, they’ve sent you a new card straight away, have they?’ Leonie sounded amazed. ‘My father and I have just been sent a letter, that’s all, saying that the old People’s Welfare has been dissolved following new trustees taking over and that all existing memberships are terminated.’

  ‘Didn’t they say anything more than that?’ Paula was puzzled.

  ‘No, but I think my father’s first name is a bigger giveaway than our surname. Do you really think that an organisation like the NSDAP wants a Dr Isaak Hirschthal on its books? Anyway, the feeling is mutual. If the Nazis have appropriated People’s Welfare, that’s no place for me.’

  ‘Nor for us. I’m going straight to the typewriter to confirm our resignation. Leonie, thank you.’

  When Richard came back a couple of hours later, he reeked of beer.

  ‘Nice that you’re back. Were you drinking alone, or did you meet up with Fritz?’

  Richard looked at her guardedly. ‘So what’s the outcome of your deliberations?’

  ‘This. See if you could put your signature to it.’ She handed him the letter she’d just typed.

  Richard read it.

  Sir,

  We joined People’s Welfare in May 1931 because we welcomed the idea of an independent, universal welfare organisation supported by donation and separate from politically motivated welfare movements. With the party-political takeover of People’s Welfare by the NSDAP, we believe our independent interests are no longer sufficiently represented and for this reason are informing you of our withdrawal. Enclosed are the cancelled membership cards.