Outandabout-Magazine-Oct-issue-191

OCTOBER 2021 | 33
He became the first editor of the journal,
Paraplegia (now named Spinal Cord). He retired
from clinical work in 1966 but continued his
involvement with sport.
Guttmann suffered a heart attack in October
1979, and died on 18 March 1980 at the age of 80.
Legacy
Guttmann on a 2013 Russian stamp from the
series “Sports Legends”
Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the
National Centre for Disability Sport
in the United Kingdom, was
developed by him alongside
the hospital.
A specialist
neurorehabilitation
hospital in Barcelona,
the Institut Guttmann
[es], is named in his
honour. The founder
of this, the first
rehabilitation clinic
for paraplegics in
Spain, was Guillermo
González Gilbey, who
himself suffered from
paraplegia and made
great progress in In June
2012, a life-sized cast-bronze
statue of Guttmann was
unveiled at Stoke Mandeville
Stadium as part of the run-up to
the London 2012 Summer Paralympics
and Olympic Games. After the Games, it was
moved to its permanent home at the National
Spinal Injuries Centre. Guttmann’s daughter, Eva
Loeffler, was appointed the mayor of the London
2012 Paralympic Games athletes’ village.
In August 2012, the BBC broadcast The Best of
Men, a TV film about Guttmann’s work at Stoke
Mandeville during and after the Second World
War. The film, written by Lucy Gannon, starred
Eddie Marsan as Dr. Guttmann and Rob Brydon
as one of the seriously injured patients, who were
given a purpose in life by the doctor.
England with Ludwig Guttmann.
The Sir Ludwig Guttmann Centre is an NHS
facility providing GP, Orthopaedic and Sports
and Exercise Medicine outpatient services as
well as imaging on the site of the 2012 Olympic
village.
The Sir Ludwig Guttmann Lectureship
was established by the International Medical
Society of Paraplegia (now ISCoS) to recognize
Guttmann’s pioneering work and lifelong
contribution to spinal cord care.
The Ludwig Guttmann Prize of the German
Medical Society for Paraplegia is awarded for
“excellent scientific work in the field of clinical
research on spinal cord injury”.
In 2019 the National Paralympic Heritage
Centre, a small accessible museum, was opened
at Stoke Mandeville Stadium celebrating the
birthplace of the Paralympics, sharing the
collections of the early Paralympic Movement
and the central role played by Professor Sir
Ludwig Guttmann.
Honours
As “Neurological Surgeon in charge of the
Spinal Injuries Centre at the Ministry of Pensions
Hospital, Stoke Mandeville”, he was appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
in the 1950 King’s Birthday Honours. On 28 June
1957, he was made an Associate Officer of the
Venerable Order of Saint John.
He was promoted to Commander of the Order
of the British Empire (CBE) in 1960, and he was
knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1966.
On 24 October 2013, a commemorative plaque
was unveiled by the Association of Jewish
Refugees (AJR) at the National Spinal Injuries
Centre to honour Guttmann’s life and work. As
an active member of the AJR, he had served on
the board for over 25 years.