title: [The medical history as a historical source. As an example, the story of a war comrade of the "English patient", Count László Ede Almásy (1895-1951) is presented].
abstract: The medical history is an important prerequisite for making a diagnosis and for establishing a trust- based doctor-patient relationship. Sometimes they can also serve as a historical source, as this example of an 89-year old patient shows. The patient worked with the Hungarian Count László Ede Almásy (1895-1951) during a German military secret service operation in North Africa during the Second World War. Graf Almásy became internationally famous through the novel "The English Patient" by Michael Ondaatje or rather, through the film of the same name. In the film however, the historical facts were very distorted as the medical history of our patient shows.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für AlIgemein- und Gefässchirurgie, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main. sachs@em.uni-frankfurt.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sachs
mesh_terms: D000352:Africa, Northern; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005858:Germany; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D008093:Literature, Modern; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D008513:Medicine in Literature; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000266:history*; D009040:Motion Pictures / Q000266:history*; D033262:Narration; D047789:World War II