Louis Heijermans

Vocation

Notable

Dutch physician in social medicine from a noted family. The founder of the Amsterdam Municipal Health Service (GGD) who did a lot of work to promote the health of the poor and working class in the early 20th century. He was also a pioneer in occupational medicine. He was the tenth of eleven children of Herman Heijermans (16 Dec 1824, Rotterdam - 18 Febr. 1910, Rotterdam) and Matilda Moses Spiers (25 Augustus 1833, Rotterdam - 13 January 1906, Rotterdam). His father worked as a journalist for the Nieuwe Rotterdamse Courant (NRC) and Het Zondagsblad. They married on 25 February 1857 and got between January 1858 and September 1876 eleven children. They were assimilated Dutch Liberal Jews, that wished the best for their children in society and for society as well. Four of their children became noted Dutch civilians, who helped to emancipate the underprivileged members of the Dutch society. His elder brother Herman became a famous playwright. After he had become a physician at the University of Amsterdam (1899), he worked as an assistent in the Jewish (Nederlands-Israëlitisch) hospital. But alarmed by occupational accidents in the gas factory in his home town Watergraafsmeer, he became more and more interested in toxicology and social medicine. Like his elder brother Herman, he became an active member of the Social Democratic Labour Party. He pleaded for better working conditions, living conditions and nutrition to prevent the endemic diseases of the poor, like the then untreatable infection disease tuberculosis. Keeping this disease under control by preventive measures, would benefit all. In 1901 he moved to Amsterdam because of his appointment as municipal doctor. Here he advocated the establishment of workers' health insurance and better payment for the health insurance doctors. He published about social medicine in the magazines De Nieuwe Tijd and the Socialist Guide. His classic magnum opus was announced on 21 January 1908: "Handleiding tot de kennis der Beroepsziekten" (Guide to the knowledge of Occupational Diseases). This work, illustrated with 160 photographs, provides a valuable portrait of working conditions and diseases from that time. It was reprinted in 1926. In 1919 Heijermans became the director of the Municipal Medical Service of Amsterdam and in 1923 he realized the merger with the Municipal Health Service. This resulted in the Amsterdam Municipal Health Service (GG&GD) and Heijermans as the director of it in the twenties and thirties, made a lot of progress in promoting health of both rich and poor people. Heijermans argued strongly for a fair salary employment of workers with disabilities, thus laying the basis for the sheltered employment in "sociale Werkplaatsen" for the disabled and handicapped. On 31 December 1937 he retired. That year the Arbeiderspers published the first edition of his translation of Fritz Kahn's banned book "Unser Geschlechtsleben – ein Führer und Berater für jedermann" as "Het sexuele leven van de mens", which would become an educational classic with 21 Dutch reprints. He died 22 July 1938 in Amsterdam of disease. The Netherlands Center for Occupational Diseases (NCvB) holds every year the Heijermans Lecture's on occupational disease. Personal On 12 December 1901 he married Johanna Bastiana Filarski (22 July 1880, Amsterdam - 13 October 1972, Bentveld). The got two daugthers and two sons. His son Herman Louis Heijermans (17 April 1905, Amsterdam - 13 September 1978, Amsterdam) also became a respected physician in social medicine. Link to Dutch Wikipedia