Birnbaum, Aniela Franciszka

  General Notes:

She emigrated to Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Geni.com has an image of her immigration card. It is dated August 24, 1940. Her passport was issued at the Polish Consulate in London on December 5, 1938 [or perhaps 1936, it's hard to read]. Her give n name appears only as Aniela (without Franciszka). Her parents' names are Henrykk Birnbaum and Evelina Pairamall. She was admitted to Brazil on a temporary basis.

After her divorce from Henryk Birnbaum, Ewelina married a medical doctor named Dr. Pairamall [also spelled Paira Mall and Paira-Mall]. He is described as "Hinda Pairamall, Hindu physician," according to the English translation of the Biographica l Dictionary of the Jews of Lodz. Some information can be found about a Dr. Pairamall on th eInternet who is probably Ewelina's husband.

On "The Open University: Making Britain" he is described as being of "Indian descent." His dates are 1874-1957. His name is given as though "Paira" is his first name and "Mall" is his surname. He worked as an agent for Sir Henry Wellcome begin ning in 1911 for about a decade, for Wellcome's history of medicine museum in London. He bought many Sanskrit manuscripts and also paintings which are housed in the museum. He was also involved in the INdia Society in England in 1910.

In the book An Infinity of Things: How Sir Henry Wellcome Collected the World, Frances Larson -- quoting someone else -- writes that Dr. Paira Mall was of "Hindoo extraction" and that he had been brought up by "an English lady" and sent to a mis sionary training college in London.

In the British Medical Journal (vol. 2, 1894), there is a mention of a "G. Paira-Mall, London Hospital." His name is in a list of those who have passed an exam in elementary anatomy.

In 1900, in a medical journal called The Lancet, there is a "Dr. L. Pairamall, Kapurthala, India."

In several journals from 1900 (such as The Journal of the Chemical Society, the Experimental Station Record) it is noted that someone named "L. Paira-Mall" wrote on the topic of the digestion of birds: "An experimental study of the physiology o f the digestion of birds, with a critical review of the leterature on the subject." This appeared in a German review called Pfluger's Archiv, 1900.

Ewelina was herself was a talented musician. She studied piano in Vienna with the Polish pianist Teodor Leszetycki (1830-1915) who operated a prestigious private piano school. She also took lessons in Vienna from Heinrich Scenker (1868-1935) a G alician born Jewish pianist, composer, music theorist and critical. Information about Ewelina and Heinrich Schenker can be found on the website "Schenker Documents Online." According to an entry in Schenker's diary Ewelina owned twenty-seven o r twenty-nine properties and houses in and around Lodz. She was living in Vienna in the 1930's but returned to Lodz in 1938.