Politicized Medicine in the GDR: The Example of the Closed Venereology Ward at Dresden‐Friedrichstadt Hospital

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Closed venereology wards existed in both Western and Eastern European dictatorships. These institutions isolated, disciplined, and "educated" individuals with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) or suspected infections. In 2024, 220 patient records from the closed venereology ward of Dresden-Friedrichstadt Hospital were discovered in the Dresden City Archive. The records were analyzed to gain insight into the care of girls and women admitted under coercion. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patient records were critically reviewed and descriptively analyzed. Data collected included: referring institution, reason for admission, type of treatment, and admission/discharge dates. RESULTS: Most records date from 1969. A total of 84 women were admitted with a diagnosed STI, 70 for a "social indication" (vagrancy), and 77 for a dermatological condition. Patients with an STI or a "social indication" underwent daily gynecological smear tests. They also received three to four provocation procedures intended to activate latent infections for diagnostic detection. Confirmed STIs were treated with penicillin. CONCLUSIONS: The Dresden ward reflects the GDR system of closed venereology wards: underage girls and women were forcibly admitted, disciplined, and isolated. Many admissions were unlawful. The closed venereology ward of Dresden-Friedrichstadt Hospital represents a chapter in Europe's history of politicized medicine.