The German Aerztetag
At the German Aerztetag held recently, the most important event was the effecting of a closer union between the Deutscher Aerztevereinsbund and the Hartmann-Bund. Here a few words of explanation may be in order. More than fifty years ago, the Deutscher Aerztevereinsbund, the first organization to represent the medical profession of Germany as a whole, was created. When social legislation became more and more of a menace, and the medical profession threatened to become dependent on the krankenkassen and, more important still, its earning capacity was weakened, Dr. Hartmann, a physician of Leipzig, established the Leipzig Verband der Aerzte (league of physicians) for the protection of the financial or economic interests of physicians. This league received later, in honor of its founder, the name Hartmann-Bund, or the Hartmann League. Through its widespread activities and its large membership, this league developed into an organization that rivaled the Deutscher