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In Memoriam Roland Fehlinger (1943-2005) |
Magnesium Research. Volume 19, Number 2, 142-3, June 2006, In Memoriam
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Author(s) : Hans-Georg Classen, Jean Durlach . |
ARTICLE
Auteur(s) : Hans-Georg Classen, Jean Durlach
Professor Doctor scientiae medicinae (equivalent to MD, PhD) Roland
Fehlinger was born in Reichenberg/Bohemia (now Liberec, Czech
Republic) on May 5th, 1943, and died on
December 7th, 2005. Roland is survived by his wife Dr.
Ruth Fehlinger, his daughter Sandra and his son Paul.Roland’s life
was driven by his love for his family, by fascination for his
profession as a neurologist and psychiatrist with a special
interest in the latent tetanic syndrome, and by the disastrous
conflicts resulting from splitting the world into two political
blocks, especially the eastern and western parts of Germany. The
International Society for the Development of Research on Magnesium
(SDRM) undoubtedly helped to alleviate his situation.Around 1971,
Roland started to study patients presenting with symptoms of
chronic primary magnesium deficiency in the Clinic of Psychiatry
and Neurology, Department of Medicine (Charité), Humboldt
University Berlin/GDR. Data were published not only in [East]
German journals, but also in Rev Franç Endocrinol Clin. The
President of SDRM consequently paid attention to his work and
invited Roland to attend the Colloque Français Annuel sur le
Magnésium in Paris. Here – in the Hôtel des 2 Continents, rue Jacob
– Roland had the chance to meet the then president of the
“Gesellschaft für Magnesiumforschung e.V.” founded in
Stuttgart-Hohenheim, FRG, who was also invited (the term “German”
was omitted to facilitate access for all German speaking scientists
to this society). This was a great opportunity and the beginning of
a long lasting friendship between the two magnesiologists from East
and West Germany. With reference to the SDRM and with the help of
the ministries of health in the two Germanies it became possible to
get permission for Roland to attend the annual Mg meetings in
Hohenheim/FRG as well as international meetings on Mg, for example
that in Baden Baden, 1981, and to join the editorial board of
Magnesium Bulletin. Unfortunately, Roland’s family was never
allowed to accompany him.To receive the degree of Dr. med. sci.,
Fehlinger had to spend some time outside the GDR. Due to their very
similar fields of study interest – namely the varying forms of
clinical manifestation of magnesium deficiency – he was invited to
live for some months in Paris in Jean Durlach’s family. Here,
Roland was soon accepted and integrated like a son. Again, he was
not permitted to be visited by his family and suffered from
loneliness. Besides his studies, he improved his knowledge of the
French language and thus was able to supervise the translation of
J. Durlach’s book Le Magnésium en pratique clinique into German and
promote its publication by G. Fischer Verlag, Jena-Stuttgart
(1992).Back in Berlin, Roland was appointed professor and became
Head of the Neurologic-Psychiatric Clinic of Berlin-Buch. Around
the year 1989 he had collected data of more than 1000 tetanic
patients. In September 1990 he initiated the foundation of the
Self-Help Organisation (SHO) Mineral Imbalances with more than 130
members today. In 1992, Professor Fehlinger became the scientific
director of VERLA-Pharm Company, Tutzing, Germany. Then, a horrible
car accident brutally stopped his career in 1993.We have lost a
true and loyal friend and an irreplaceable magnesium expert with a
broad clinical background who was able to transform the results of
basic research into clinical practice – we all miss Roland!
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