Winfried Bettag, 1925–2018

“But I believe that when death closes our eyes, we stand in a light of which our sunlight is only the shadow.” —Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860).

On August 19, 2018, at age 93, Professor Dr. med. Winfried Bettag, founder and director of the Neurosurgical Clinic of the Municipal Clinics Duisburg from 1975 to 1990, passed away. In the letter of mourning it was written with dignity, “A fulfilled life has quietly and gently come to an end.” As one of his former residents, I would like to write a few lines to commemorate him.

Professor Bettag was a dedicated and accomplished neurosurgeon, and for us as his residents an inspiring teacher who always, with pleasure, shared his extensive knowledge with us, not only during medical rounds that took place daily (also during weekends!) but also after operations in the waiting room with a cup of coffee (for him there was always his own smaller coffeepot with a deep black strong brew that was more or less mysterious to us).

Above all, Professor Bettag was a dedicated mentor who accompanied and supported us in continuing education, and we are grateful for the opportunities and perspectives that he enabled and created for us. One thing I especially remember: The door of his office was always open, not only in the literal sense but also figuratively. He always had an open ear for our concerns.

His work encompassed the entire spectrum of neurosurgery, but in his initial clinical work, during his time with Professor Röttgen in Bonn, functional neurosurgery and then in the Duisburg time, vascular neurosurgery was especially close to his heart. Although he finally adopted the microsurgical technique, he preferred to operate with his magnifying glasses and headlamp. From us as residents, however, he always demanded the use of the surgical microscope for all interventions because he knew this technique was essential for our future.

The well-being of his patients was the highest principle of his medical practice that always directed his actions. Whatever was required for the patient was performed swiftly and purposefully, but anything that could (possibly) harm the patient was also left aside consciously. “The fact that an operation is technically feasible does not in itself constitute an indication” is what we learned from Professor Bettag right at the beginning of our training.

I have taken over some of his habits (often unconsciously), so during rounds I still sit down on a chair next to the patient (I do not stand at the foot end of the bed), and I remind my assistants during operations in the same humorous way (“Assisting” derives from the Latin word assistere, and that means standing by, not standing around).

For three decades I have received a letter after sending him my best wishes for his birthday, and I always received a card for Christmas. I will miss that dearly. In his very last letter, he wrote that he was “trying to cope with becoming very old.”

I will always honor his memory.

Winfried Bettag