The Woman with the Scalpel
Edith Peritz – Cosmetic Surgeon Between Wrocław and New York
The Woman with the Scalpel / Die Frau mit dem Skalpell
Edith Peritz – Cosmetic Surgeon Between Wrocław and New York
The inspiring story of the pioneer of cosmetic surgery
Wrocław, Berlin, Paris, New York – four cities, one Jewish family, five generations. At the centre, the cosmetic surgeon Edith Peritz, born in 1897, the first woman in just about everything she does: in her hiking club, at medical school, in the operating theatre, or as the pioneer of plastic surgery.
Around her, a sprawling Jewish family whose fate is intricately intertwined with the dramatic history of Europe – from the German Empire to the catastrophe of persecution, from...
Around her, a sprawling Jewish family whose fate is intricately intertwined with the dramatic history of Europe – from the German Empire to the catastrophe of persecution, from...
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Wrocław, Berlin, Paris, New York – four cities, one Jewish family, five generations. At the centre, the cosmetic surgeon Edith Peritz, born in 1897, the first woman in just about everything she does: in her hiking club, at medical school, in the operating theatre, or as the pioneer of plastic surgery.
Around her, a sprawling Jewish family whose fate is intricately intertwined with the dramatic history of Europe – from the German Empire to the catastrophe of persecution, from emigration to a new beginning all over the world.
After fleeing to the USA, Edith Peritz builds a successful career as a surgeon between New York’s high society and the avant garde of medical advancements. The historian and successful author Felicitas von Aretin provides a compelling account of the life of this remarkable woman and of the major developments of the 20th century. A time of radical change, in which women like Edith Peritz, Erika Mann, Annot Jacobi, or the world’s first female surgeon, Alice Rost, come together and conquer new terrain.
Around her, a sprawling Jewish family whose fate is intricately intertwined with the dramatic history of Europe – from the German Empire to the catastrophe of persecution, from emigration to a new beginning all over the world.
After fleeing to the USA, Edith Peritz builds a successful career as a surgeon between New York’s high society and the avant garde of medical advancements. The historian and successful author Felicitas von Aretin provides a compelling account of the life of this remarkable woman and of the major developments of the 20th century. A time of radical change, in which women like Edith Peritz, Erika Mann, Annot Jacobi, or the world’s first female surgeon, Alice Rost, come together and conquer new terrain.
2026, 300 pages
Persons
Felicitas von Aretin
Author
Felicitas von Aretin completed her PhD in contemporary history at the European University Institute in Florence. She then went on to work as a journalist for Tagesspiegel, WELT, and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and worked as a press officer in the communications departments of major research institutions such as Freie Universität Berlin and the Max Planck Society. Today, she manages the office of the history marketing agency hpunkt kommunikation, and works as a journalist and author. She lives with her family in Munich.
Felicitas von Aretin
Author
Felicitas von Aretin completed her PhD in contemporary history at the European University Institute in Florence. She then went on to work as a...
© Thomas Wieland