Else Hirschberg (1892-1942): the rediscovery of the private and professional life of the first female chemistry graduate at Rostock University in a digitised world

Abstract

In preparation of the 600^th anniversary of Rostock University the question arose who the first female students at the institute of chemistry were. With the help of digitized materials of the enrollments and printed lists of graduations in the beginning of the 20^th century, the first female graduate, Else Hirschberg, was found. This article examines her life, her scientific career and her fate. After a short introduction about women"s studies in Germany, particular attention will be paid to the ancestry of Else Hirschberg´s Jewish family in the first part. Based on documents provided by several archives and the possibilities of ancestry.com in connection with online-access detailed information about Else, her family and her ancestors will be described - both her maternal and the paternal lineage. The second part of the paper informs about Else Hirschberg´s academic career. It is not possible to name the exact reasons for her decision to study chemistry, but an impressive picture of her scientific efforts will be drawn. Furthermore, a list of her papers and some information about the network that she used in her attempts to emigrate from Germany are available.