Dr. med. Sommer II (1970)

The newly graduated doctor Dr. Sommer has just arrived at a small-town hospital when he has an unusual experience. While looking for the department where he will be working, Dr. Sommer is called to an emergency. He gets himself a white coat and administers first aid. When the senior physician arrives, it turns out that there are now two colleagues with the same name, and the newcomer is immediately dubbed Sommer II. Since a staff doctor’s position has just become vacant, he takes it on and, in his initial enthusiasm, finds himself facing numerous professional and interpersonal problems. Thanks to his open and decisive manner, he is able to overcome the difficulties that arise, and he can also count on the support of the hospital director, Dr. Hagedorn—even though he corrected him during their very first operation together. He often runs into student nurse Emmylie doing cleaning work in the stairwell and on the ward, time she could actually be spending on medical duties. Heiner Sommer arranges for a cleaner—Emmylie’s aunt—to be hired. Emmylie takes a liking to the new doctor and helps him on many occasions, for example, by helping him find a room in the small town or by going shopping with him, since he does not know his way around town. During her first night shift, she phones Dr. Sommer every few minutes to tell him what she has observed about the patients. When a genuine emergency case is admitted and the senior physician cannot make it to the operating room in time, Sommer begins the operation himself. He is even praised for his good work. During a visit to his girlfriend Gunkel in Halle, he tries to persuade her to come and work at his hospital. But she wants to continue working in research and does not want to give up her beautiful new-build apartment. So he drives back to the hospital alone. Wanting to build an honest relationship with his patients, he tells the recently operated-on Franke that he has incurable stomach cancer, whereupon Franke chooses to take his own life. The doctor’s frankness is strongly disputed by many of those involved. But with his colleagues’ support, Dr. Sommer II will get over this shock too. Many questions remain open at the end of the film, which actually works in its favor. Some things are clear, however: Professor Hagedorn will henceforth do without private patients (except for electricians and tilers); Emmylie passes her nursing exam; the senior physician reconsiders his relationship with Nurse Helga; and new technology—and with it, research—will find its way into the hospital.