Palla Ákos szerk.: Az Országos Orvostörténeti Könyvtár közleményei 10-11. (Budapest, 1958)

war, — seine wertvolle aufklärende Arbeit trug immerhin unbestreitbare Früchte auf dem Gebiet der Erziehung des Volkes in den Fragen des Gesundheitswesens, zur Erweiterung seines geistigen Horizontes. SUMMARY With the progress of capitalism interest was focussed on problems of industrial welfare and public health. István Mátyus, a physician of Transylvania (1725'—>1802), is the first Hungarian author concerned with public health. In his „Dietetics" published in two volumes in 1726—66, and, later on, in the 6 volumes of „Dietetics Old and New", he attaches particular importance to the problems of public health. As a partisan of enlightmeint, he arms himself with the weapons of natural sciences to conquer social and hygienic backwardness. As regards hygiene concerned with the individual, Mátyus rallies himself to the opinion of Hippocrates and Galenos on outstanding role played by diet in safeguarding and restoring health. He studies in detail the hygiene of pregnancy and confinement. He proclaims that several thousand children die throughout the country simply because people around do mot know how to take care of them. Already familiar with the work of Tissot, I. P. Frank, and Ramazzani, Mátyus goes deeply into the problems of environmental and labour hygiene. He calls attention to the dangers associated with crowded, dirty towns. He emphasizes the importance of cleansing streets and places, since garbage contaminates the air and hence it is noxious to health. Consequently, he considers it necessary to settle tanners, cobblers, and similar artisans in special quarters. He highly disapproves of the indifference of magistrates who allow the cities of Transylvania to decay into stables of Augeas. To fight down malaria, he advocates the draining of marshes. His advice igiiven on good drinking-water goes into full detail. He warns people dwelling in countries infected with goitre to refrain from drinking springwater, for it would aggravate their condition. He demands cemeteries to be brought under regulations. Cemeteries shall be located on the outskirts and those who die of infectious diseases be buried within 24 hours. The rich shall not be