[Physicians, journalists and patients as public spheres in West Germany. The example of the journal "Der Spiegel" (1947-1955)].

Until today, it is still unexplored, how modern (scientific) medicine in Western Germany could negotiate its social position in the public sphere and how it was represented in the media. This paper will contribute to the analysis of this problem by investigating all entries on "medicine" in the journal "Der Spiegel" during the period 1947 to 1955, when Western Germany was built up. It is possible to show that the journal was a market place where specific public spheres as e.g. physicians, patients or journalists could discuss medical topics. This way, on the one hand, "Der Spiegel" grasped contemporary notions on medicine and the medical market, which made itself felt in later years of Western Germany. On the other hand, the journal itself molded the discussions about a scientific medicine, which was to be not only innovative but also democratic.