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James Koch: Not only medically a jack of all trades

Created: 07/23/2022, 08:00

By: Gerda Gebel

Learning was the lifeblood of Dr.

James Cook.

The Erdinger specialist died at the age of 84.

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dr

James Koch was well known in Erding as an ENT doctor.

He had many passions, was also a mathematician, had a talent for languages ​​and was a sports ace.

He has now died at the age of 84.

Erding – For almost 30 years, Dr.

James Koch in Erding as a specialist in ear, nose and throat and plastic surgery.

Now the doctor has died after a serious cancer at the age of 84.

He wasn't just a jack of all trades in medicine.

Koch opened his practice at the Schönen Turm in 1974 and, in addition to ENT treatments, particularly enjoyed reconstructive surgery.

This concerned, for example, the reconstruction of lips or noses after cancer or accidents.

He was also considered a luminary for operations on the ear.

One of Koch's specialties was setting up a broken nose without anesthesia – quickly and (almost) painlessly.

A grip that was particularly appreciated by police officers and ice hockey players, according to his wife Anneliese.

But Koch was not only in demand as an ENT specialist, he had also completed his studies in dentistry with distinction at the same time.

After accidents with broken jaws, the Erding Hospital was happy to call him in as a specialist.

He paid special attention to his little patients.

It was important to him that they could be treated without fear and tears.

His pedagogically trained wife Anneliese stood by his side with advice and action.

The patients appreciated Koch's calm and confident manner. A former patient still raves today about how the doctor took away her fear of surgery as a child.

Koch was born in Tanga (now Tanzania), where his parents ran a coffee plantation in the highlands.

The father was German, the mother English.

On site, the young James communicated in the local language, Kiswahili.

Growing up with lots of adventure and great freedom in Africa shaped his life.

For him, the expression "at home" always meant Africa.

James Koch only came to Germany at the age of 17 after graduating from high school.

His mathematical talent led to a scholarship to study mathematics and physics in Cambridge, but after a year he changed his mind and began a double degree in medicine and dentistry in Germany.

He then gained experience in further training courses abroad and ultimately decided not to take over a clinic, but settled down as a specialist in Erding.

It was here that he met his wife 45 years ago.

She was one of his patients.

In 1985 the two married and had children Corina and Jimmy.

From then on, Koch devoted himself with great passion not only to his work, but also to his family.

In order to pass on his British origins, he raised his daughter and son bilingually.

Throughout his life, the physician was filled with a great thirst for knowledge that extended far beyond his areas of expertise.

He was very interested in foreign countries and cultures, new languages, music and natural sciences.

"Learning was his elixir of life," says Anneliese Koch.

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So, after the practical task, he decided to learn Chinese as his eighth language.

To deepen his knowledge, he spent four months in Beijing, lived with a family there, attended a language school and also sat in on Chinese operating theatres.

Irrespective of his age, Koch also regularly took over practice representation for colleagues in Künzelsau, Kufstein and Deggendorf.

He was held in high esteem by his colleagues and earned a great deal of respect and recognition.

An important part that goes to Dr.

James Koch belonged to the sport.

When he was at school, he captained his school's hockey team to a legendary victory over the Kenyan national team.

In addition to tennis, golf and squash, Koch's sports program also included figure skating and skiing.

And as a grandpa, in his 80s, he still crawled through play tunnels with his grandchildren, climbed trees, drove the bobby car and sped down slides.

It was also very difficult for Koch to let go of life because of his three grandchildren Jonas, Mia and Annabelle.

He died at home surrounded by his family.

"Kwa heri na salama sana - Farewell and rest in peace" says the obituary in Kiswahili and English, with a view of the landmark of his African homeland, Mount Kilimanjaro.

Not only his family but also his patients will have fond memories of him.

The burial will take place this Saturday at 10 a.m. in the municipal park cemetery on Itzlinger Straße in Altenerding.