[History of the Society of Rheumatology in the GDR 1945/49 to 1990].

Rheumatology's comeback in the GDR saw the establishment of a rheumatology research institute in Dresden, built up by Hans Tichy (1888-1970). It was here that initial success was seen in the treatment of rheumatic fever, mainly as a result of strict relapse prevention with the administration of penicillin. A working group of the "Society for Clinical Medicine in the GDR" was the forerunner to what turned in 1967 into the autonomous "Society of Rheumatology of the GDR". The latter worked closely with rheumatology societies in Eastern European countries. Their shared centre of coordination was in Moscow. International symposia took place with participants from Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary, but also with delegations from Switzerland, Austria and the Federal Republic of Germany. The Society of Rheumatology of the GDR merged with the West German Society of Rheumatology in September 1990.