He founded what is probably the oldest international ice hockey tournament, the Spengler Cup.
His father Alexander Spengler was given a pair of Sami hunting skis by a Nordic patient in 1873.
Spengler worked for a time as an researcher in immunology with Robert Koch in Berlin.
Back in Davos, he published over 70 scientific papers, many of which dealt with the fight against tuberculosis and other plagues.
He wanted to offer the once hostile nations of Europe the opportunity to measure their strength in peaceful combat and to shake hands in a spirit of comradeship.