Emil Paul Baumann, son of August Baumann and his wife Bertha, was educated at St Andrew's College, Grahamstown and at the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Berlin and Vienna. He qualified as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) of England and a licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians (LRCP) of London in 1897, and the next year was awarded the degrees Bachelor of Medicine (MB) and Bachelor of Surgery. Subsequently he was awarded the degree Doctor of Medicine (MD) by the University of Edinburgh (1902) and was admitted as a member of the Royal College of Physicians of London (1903). He joined the staff of the Laboratory of Pathological Chemistry at University College, London, and published the following two papers: 'The effect of haemorrhage upon the composition of the normal blood, compared to its effect during the administration of iron and arsenic' (Journal of Physiology, 1903) and 'A criticism of the value of Hammerschlag's method in clinical estimations of the specific gravity of the blood' (British Medical Journal, 1904).

Baumann moved to the Transvaal, where he was registered to practice in 1905, and settled in Johannesburg for the rest of his career. Shortly after his arrival he became a member of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science, but his membership soon lapsed. In a paper titled "Acute pneumonia" (Transvaal Medical Journal, 1907/8, Vol. 3, pp. 45-57) he reviewed the etiology, pathology and treatment of the disease. In due course he became senior honorary visiting physician at the Johannesburg Hospital, honorary physician at the Johannesburg Fever Hospital, and lecturer on clinical medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand. Over the years he began to specialize in the diseases of children and became honorary physician at the Transvaal Memorial Hospital for Children, and lecturer on the diseases of children at the University of the Witwatersrand. A paper by him on "Poliomyelitis" (Medical Journal of South Africa, 1918, Vol. 13, pp. 87-95) dealt, among others, with the poliomyelitis epidemic in South Africa during 1917-1918. In subsequent papers he described "The modern dietetic treatment of diabetes" (British Medical Journal, 1921) and "The use of simple cows milk mixtures in infant feeding" (Medical Journal of South Africa, 1923).

From 1933 to 1936 - the year of his death - Baumann represented Rosettenville in the House of Assembly. His hobbies were child welfare and horticulture. On 5 June 1906 in Graaff-Reinet he married Andrietta (Andrea) Maria Maasdorp, with whom he had a daughter.

List of sources:

Andrietta Maria Maasdorp. Family Search. Retrieved on 23 March 2023 from https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L5TJ-YLQ/andrietta-maria-maasdorp-1881-1949

General directory of South Africa (Johannesburg), 1916.

Google scholar. http://scholar.google.co.za Publications by E.P. Baumann.

Malan, M. In quest of health: The South African Institute for Medical Research, 1912-1973. Johannesburg: Lowrie, 1988.

Medical, dental and pharmacy directory of South Africa, 1926/7.

Medical, dental and pharmacy register for the Transvaal, 1907.

National Archives Repository (TAB), Source MHG, Vol. 0, Ref. 92307: Death notice, Emil Paul Baumann.

South African Association for the Advancement of Science. Report, 1905/6, list of members.

South African who's who, 1936.

Standard encyclopaedia of southern Africa (SESA). Cape Town: NASOU, 1970-1976.

Transvaal Medical Journal, 1907/8, Vol. 3, paper by Baumann.

United Transvaal Directory (Johannesburg), 1926, 1933. Johannesburg: United Transvaal Directory Co.

Compiled by: C. Plug

Last updated: 2023-03-23 11:08:52