July 19

Friedrich Dessauer was a visionary German physicist whose early work in X-ray technology laid the foundation for modern medical radiology. Born in 1881, he combined his scientific expertise with deep philosophical inquiry to explore the ethical dimensions of technology and life. As a professor at the University of Frankfurt, he developed innovative imaging techniques that transformed diagnostic medicine. When the Nazi regime stripped him of his position in 1933, Dessauer emigrated and continued his work abroad, eventually serving as a rector in Istanbul. His writings on the relationship between science and human values influenced generations of scholars. A committed advocate for social responsibility in research, he helped establish ethical standards in scientific practice. Dessauer's legacy endures in the fields of radiology and philosophy. He died in 1963, respected as a pioneer of interdisciplinary thought.

Born in Berlin in 1898, Marcuse studied philosophy and sociology at Freiburg, Bonn, and Heidelberg. After emigrating to the U.S. in 1934, he taught at Columbia and Harvard universities. His works, including Eros and Civilization (1955) and One-Dimensional Man (1964), critiqued capitalist society. Marcuse influenced the New Left and 1960s student movements with his theories of liberation. He blended Marxist thought with Freudian analysis to challenge social norms. After retiring from UC San Diego in 1970, he remained a prominent intellectual until his death in 1979.