Anton Leb – Wikipedia

Anton Leb (born October 23, 1891 in Grünhilling near Hochburg; † February 15, 1965 in Graz) was an Austrian doctor, radiologist and university professor.

Anton Leb was born on October 23, 1891 as the son of the mercenary Anton Leb (born May 16, 1863 in Grünhilling, Upper Austria; † June 8, 1918 in Burghausen, Bavaria) and his wife Anna (née Reisinger) in Grünhilling near Hochburg and on baptized with the name Anton on the same day.[1] With Anna Hofstätter (Leeb; 1893–1979), Karl Leb (1898–1952), Fanny Berthold (Leeb), Robert Leeb and Hermann Leeb, he had at least five siblings known by name. After his general school education, he studied the then modern subject of radiology and radiography at the universities of Graz, Vienna and Stockholm. His professors included Guido Holzknecht, Hans Holfelder and Gösta Forssell.[2] During the First World War he served as a military assessor from July 1, 1914 to November 1919. He also received several awards during his military career. On January 19, 1919, he received his doctorate in medicine from the University of Graz and subsequently worked as an assistant doctor at the Graz Surgical Clinic until 1923. In June 1924, he completed his habilitation in medical radiation science in Graz, after which Leb worked as a private lecturer from August 10, 1924. As senior physician, he took over the board of the newly established in the same year Central X-ray and Radium Institute at the LKH Graz and was its director for over 40 years. Only shortly after taking on this position, Leb married Hilde Wintersteiner on March 25, 1925, with whom he had two daughters and a son.

On June 12, 1933, Leb was sworn in at the University of Graz, where he had already received an associate professorship a year earlier, on June 7, 1932. At least from 1932 to 1936 he was a member of the Rotary Club in Graz.[3] During the Second World War, the founder of the radiological university clinic was called up for military service on June 7, 1943 (according to other sources also June 7, 1944) as an expert radiologist based in Graz. He held his position as a military assessor until February 28, 1945. Between 1938 and 1945 he also had a teaching position in medical radiation science and then in radiology. On October 16, 1939 he received an adjunct professorship. After the increasing need for X-ray diagnostic services and radiotherapy treatments made a new building necessary, one was opened in 1955 and just three years later a chair for medical radiology was built for the first time.[4] Leb was then appointed the first full professor of this subject and held this position until his retirement on September 30, 1963. He then took over the management of the company from October 1, 1963 to November 20, 1964 Central X-ray and Radium Institutewhose management had already passed to Erich Vogler. In 1958/59 Leb acted as dean of the medical faculty. From March 12, 1959, he took over the position of savings officer at the medical faculty.

Around three months after his official retirement, Leb died on February 15, 1965 at the age of 73 in Graz and was buried on February 18, 1965 in a grave of honor in the Graz Central Cemetery (number number: Z-1A-3-6).[5]

• Petra Schreibblechner: “…Politically he is flawless…”. Short biographies of the scientists working at the Medical Faculty of the University of Graz between 1938 and 1945. In: Alois Kernbauer (ed.): Publications from the archives of the University of Graz. Volume 39. Academic Printing and Verlangsanstalt, Graz 2002, S. 141–142 (austria-forum.org).