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5 Deutsche Mark Max Pettenkofer
| Issuer | Federal Republic of Germany |
|---|---|
| Year | 1968 |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Reverse description | A bold, high-relief three-quarter left-facing bust portrait of the German physician and hygienist Max von Pettenkofer dominates the field, rendered in an expressive, sculptural style. The effigy shows Pettenkofer as an elderly man with a full beard and flowing hair, with pronounced facial features conveying character and depth. The peripheral legend 'MAX · V · PETTENKOFER ·' arcs along the upper portion of the coin within a raised border. The birth and death years '1818' and '1901' are inscribed at the lower portion of the field, separated by a raised dot, commemorating the centenary of his death. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Pettenkofer was a 19th-century Munich hygienist whose work on cholera transmission was largely wrong — he rejected the germ theory of disease and instead championed a "miasma plus soil" model — yet his insistence on urban sanitation infrastructure, clean water, and sewage reform saved far more lives than many contemporaries who were scientifically correct. Germany chose to commemorate him on the 150th anniversary of his birth rather than the centenary of any particular achievement, a quiet acknowledgment that public health outcomes matter more than theoretical accuracy.