Technikatörténeti szemle 19. (1992)

KÖNYVISMERTETÉS - Papers of the First „MINERALKONTOR” International Conference on the History of Chemistry and Chemical Industry (Veszprém, 12-16 August, 1991)

KÁZMÉR JOBST* FAMOUS HUNGARIAN CLINICAL CHEMISTS Clinical chemistry deals with the chemical basis of metabolic processes in human and animal organs, and with the physiological and pathological changes of those processes. In order to reveal and understand the chemical basis of the physiological processes employs the most advanced techniques of analytical chemistry and biochemistry, and is also involved in the elaboration of such procedures. Historically, the development of CC can be divided into three periods. The first, extending up to the Great War, leaving aside ancient medicine besides Paracelsus, Boyle, Wöhler, Scherer and Heller the names of Gmelin, Pettenkoffer, Schlesinger, Giinzburg and Esbach should be mentioned. It is van Slyke's name that hallmarks the second period, up to the second World War. This was also the golden age of Hungarian CC, with the activities of Somogyi, Pándy and Jendrassik, of which I would like to introduce in details, not forgetting Gábor Szász who belongs to the third period. Coloman Pándy M. D. born at Ó-Kígyós, Békés country (Hungary), in 1868, died in 1945 during the occupation of Budapest by Soviet forces. He received his degree of M. D. from the University of Budapest. He began to work as an internist and turned to neurologist later. At that time, around 1910 his interest was focussed on syphilis, with special regard on progressive bulbar paralysis. The lucky coincidence of Pándy's interest in clinical and laboratory aspects led to the discovery of his protein reaction in the cerebrospinal fluid. According to an anecdote, his discovery was a case of serendipity. A bottle containg carbolic acid was upset beside some cerebrospinal fluid spilled on the laboratory desk. When the phenol reached the cerebrospinal fluid on the table it became turbid. This phenomenon caught Pándy's attention and led to the elaboration of the phenol reaction by him. It is generally believed that things do happen by chancejhowever, fortune does not favour people by chance. It was in 1910 after the examination of the cerebrospinal fluids of 250 patients with paralysis that the journal „Neurologisches Zentralblat" published his method which, essentially, is based on the precipitation of globulins by phenol. The Hungarian Society of Clinical Pathology founded a „Pándy medal", which is awarded annually to Hungarian colleagues for outstanding achievement in laboratory diagnostics. •Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Medical School, 7643 Pécs, Ifjúság útja 13.