Matthias Franz

Prof. Dr. Matthias Franz (born 1955) Specialist in Psychosomatic Medicine, a specialist in neurology and psychiatry, training analyst, is Professor of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, and Deputy Director of the Institute of Clinical Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy (UKD).

At the Scientific Symposium on the day before the WWDOGA 2014, he gave a lecture on the topic of 'Psychotraumatological and psychoanalytic aspects of boy circumcision'.

Research areas

Psychosomatic epidemiology (incidence, course, causes and prevention of mental / psychosomatic illnesses), development of innovative preventive interventions in the municipal field, single parents, fatherless, research on emotions ( alexithymia).

Curriculum vitae

• Studies and Ph.D. at the Ruprecht Karl University in Heidelberg (Germany)
• 1993 Habilitation
• 1995 Appointed professor at the Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf (Germany)

Political activities

In 2011 he published an anthology 'New men - really have to be?', which deals with current issues and problems of male life situation and the associated risks to society.

In summer 2012, Franz was the initiator of an open letter to the German policy, which was signed by over 600 people (as of 21 July 2012,), including many doctors, lawyers and scientists. The letter refers to the societal debate about the religiously motivated circumcision underage boys (mostly children of Muslims and Jews) in Germany, which had triggered an undisclosed in June 2012 judgment of the District Court of Cologne. Franz criticizes the "serious accusation of Jewish point of Representatives, that Jewish life in Germany would be impossible by a ban on ritual circumcision". He argues, inter alia, that freedom of religion "could not be a charter for the application of (sexual) violence against incompetent boys and postulated by reference to the Age of Enlightenment: "One doesn't hurt children!" Dieter Graumann, then chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, called this a "suggestive slogan" and critized in retrospect, the signatories of the "infamous letter" would have shown "unparalleled rants in an arrogance and a policy delusion about the circumcision ritual".

Since April 2017, he is an intaktiv Ambassador.

PRECK study on late effects of circumcision

Since 2019, a study has been carried out at the University of Düsseldorf to clarify the possible after-effects of juvenile boy circumcision, in which Prof. Matthias Franz and Peter Richter are significantly involved.

Works (Selection)

• http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Franz#Werke_.28Auszug.29
• M. Franz (Hrsg.: B. West-Leuer): Bindung – Trauma – Prävention, PsychoSozial-Verlag, Gießen 2008.
• PALME – ein Präventives Elterntraining für Alleinerziehende Mütter geleitet von Erzieherinnen und Erziehern, Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht 2009.
• M. Franz, Jörg Frommer (Hrsg.): Medizin und Beziehung, Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht 2008, ISBN 978-3525401491.
• M. Franz, A. Karger (Hrsg.): Neue Männer - muss das sein? Risiken und Perspektiven der heutigen Männerrolle, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2011, ISBN 978-3525404409.
• M. Franz (Hrsg.): Die Beschneidung von Jungen - Ein trauriges Vermächtnis, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2014, ISBN 978-3525404553.

See also

• Literature
• Psychological issues of male circumcision
• Trauma

External links

• Wikipedia (German): Matthias Franz