Charité: step aside Robert Koch - it’s Ida Lenze who’s the real protagonist

A medical drama set in 1888, ‘Charité’ offers a fresh, modern take on a tumultuous historical period. The 2017 series, which originally came to our screens on Das Erste, takes place in Germany’s influential hospital, Charité, at a time in which the country was on the brink of groundbreaking medical advancements.

At first glance, the show does not have a female focus. On the contrary, ‘Charité’ is dominated by men, with the important historical figures Rudolf Virchow, Emil von Behring and above all Robert Koch taking up much of the screen time.

But it was the courageous and resilient (and unfortunately fictional) Ida Lenze who captured my attention. Arriving at the hospital with acute appendicitis, Ida initially embarks on her medical career to pay off the debts for her treatment. Yet through her work as an assistant nurse, Ida uncovers a passion for medicine, ultimately daring to aspire to becoming a doctor, a career unthinkable for a woman at the time.

Through Ida, we witness the hideous injustice that women faced in the nineteenth century. Whilst it becomes clear in surgeries that Ida is far more talented than many of the male trainee doctors, she can only steal a glance at the medical lectures through a crack in the door. Despite her efforts being ridiculed by her male and female colleagues alike, Ida perseveres and is even later able to assist Doctor Behring with his influential research. It is Ida’s striking determination in the face of poverty and discrimination which makes the show such a remarkable watch.

That’s why I was outraged when a review of the show in Indiewire dismissed Ida’s plight as a mere “subplot”. It is true that Ida’s fierce ambition is at times overshadowed by the male medical paragons and even a rather ubiquitous love story between her and one of the doctors, but for me she nevertheless dominates the show.

Whilst the historical figures do at times shift the focus from Ida, ‘Charité’ expertly weaves between fact and fiction, embellishing an arguably dry plot of leading male scientists with the outrageously determined Ida. So step aside Robert Koch, it is Ida’s journey which will remain with the viewers.