Palla Ákos szerk.: Az Országos Orvostörténeti Könyvtár közleményei 6-7. (Budapest, 1957)

Dr. TARDY LAJOS: Az első magyar „sub auspiciis” orvosdoktor

fell seriuosly ill. Reineggs treated him and saved his life. The grateful envoy gave him generous presents and on his return home related to the king the story of his meeting with Reineggs. Heraclius II., the greatest Caucasian statesman and military leader of the 18th century, recognized at once how valuable the services of this remarkably learned European doctor could be for his country and when Reineggs and Koháry reached Erzerum, the King of Gruzia sent a guard of honour to ask and accompany the two men to Gruzia. From this time on Reineggs' carrier began to rise. On arrival to Tbilisi he becomes the turor of the king's children and physician to the court. In the years to follow he participates in and not infrequently inspires great reforms. His abilities as organizer and educator are fully appreciated: he introduces uptodate medical reforms, modernizes the state machinery, develops methods for the efficient exploitation of the country's mines, organizes gun-founding and metallurgy. His activities are fully rewarded, the king raises him to the highest rank and gives him seven villages as a present in appreciation of his services. Meanwhile, the other Hungarian traveller, count John Koháry, falls seriously ill, loses his sight and dies in 1780, in the house of the Capuchin fathers. His written observations concerning first of all the moral, hygienic and other customs of the Mohamedans are published in the form of a book 50 years after his death, in 1830. His letters from Tbilisi can be found in the State Archives of Budapest. After the death of his friend Reineggs focuses his attention of diplomacy. Gruzia is from two sides in a deadly grip: Persia and the Osman empire menace her. The small country is exhausted by the century old struggle against overwhelmingly superior forces and needs a powerful ally and protector. Heraclius sends Reineggs to tsarina Catherina. After several visits to St. Petersburg Reineggs succeeds in his efforts and the treaty of Georgievsk is signed, making Gruzia a protectorate of Russia, but otherwise preserving the independence of the country. After that time Reineggs serves for a long period as the Russian envoy to the court of Heraclius II. until he moves finally to St. Petersburg and devotes his life from 1784 until his death in 1793 to the education and training of Russian surgeons. Meanwhile, he writes his memoir of his journeys in Gruzia. He becomes the director of the School of Surgery of