J. Pótó, M. Tolnai, P. Zilahy (eds.): Understanding the Hungarian Academy of Sciences : a guide

Sándor Kónya: A Brief History Of The Hungarian Academy Of Sciences (1825-2002)

SÁNDOR KÓNYA: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HUNGARIA

N ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (1825-2002) tion of the Academy played an important part, and rising interest rates on foundation funds. In 1867, for the first time since its establishment, it also received a state subsidy. The inauguration of the building of the Academy in 1865 was an important event in its history. Its reading rooms, conference rooms, art gallery, collection of minerals, and rich library offered great opportunities for scholarly work. AFTER THE COMPROMISE (1867-1949) The Compromise of 1867 created a new situation in the country's life. The changes prompted the Academy to rid itself of the restraints imposed by the bylaws of 1858. The new bylaws were adopted in 1869 and, with a few modifications, remained in force until 1945. According to the bylaws, the Academy's aim was the study of science and — adhering to the traditions of the reform period — the study and propagation of literature in Hungarian. The bylaws defined three scientific sections: I. Linguistics and Aesthetics; II. Philosophical, Social, and Historical Sciences; III. Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The role and composition of the Governing Board changed significantly. Management of the Academy's assets and financial affairs remained within its jurisdiction. In addition to the president, vice-president, and secretary-general, it had 24 members, 12 of whom were elected from among the founders and the patrons of science, the other 12 from among the members of the Academy. The organizational change in 1869 promoted a more autonomous and free development of the sciences. In the decades following the Compromise, the Academy's international relations began to gradually grow. From the 1870s, Hungarian scientists representing the Academy began to attend international congresses with increasing frequency. In 1900, the Hungarian Academy joined the International Association of Academies. Granting honorary membership to foreign scientists indicated the broadening of international relations. Already in 1858, the English historian Michael Famday, the German geographer Alexander Humboldt and historiographer Leopold von Ranke, and the Finnish folklorist Elias Lönnrot became members of the Academy. The English philosopher John Stuart Mill and natural scientist Charles Robert Darwin, the German physician Rudolf Virchow, the French chemist Louis Pasteur, the Russian chemist Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev, and the French mathematician and physicist Henri Poincaré, among others, were elected honorary members in the ensuing decades. The Academy's role in society and scientific life changed during the last decades of the 19th century. Its weight and influence began to decline, and its energetic development came to a standstill. From the 1870s, everyday life began to make demands on scientific research with increasing urgency. Agricultural needs were the first to induce the state to establish experimental research institutes. Mining interests led to the establishment of an independent institute for geological research. The Academy was not entrusted with directing the work of institutes which came into being under the supervision of the respective ministries. This was due not only to the Academy's autonomy but also to its cumbersome administration. In addition to research institutes, experimental laboratories directly serving practical needs and research centers at universities were also gradually established. All this took place outside the walls of the Academy. In the last decades of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century, the Academy came increasingly under attack - and not without reason - for isolating itself from social progress, from urgent social problems. Because of its conservatism, it was also incapable of espousing the new trends in literature and art. During this period it owed its prestige mainly to outstanding natural scientists such as the physicist Loránd Eötvös, the chemist Vince Wartha, the biologist István Apáthy, the mathematician Gyula König, the doctors of medicine Endre Hőgyes and Mihály Lenhossék, the mathematicians Lipót Fejér and Frigyes Riesz, the veterinarian Ferenc Hutyra, and the mechanical engineer Donát Bánki. In spite of the deterioration in the general science policy of the Academy, the activity of its sections and committees increased, not least because the growing number of researchers doing high-standard works. The network of committees grew: the Literary History Committee was set up in 1879, the Classical Philology and the Military Science Committees in 1883. Their members were appointed from among the full and corresponding members at section meetings held concur13