Palla Ákos szerk.: Az Országos Orvostörténeti Könyvtár közleményei 12. (Budapest, 1959)

Dr. SZÖKEFALVI-NAGY ZOLTÁN: Kováts Mihály orvos, a magyarországi természettudományos ismeretterjesztés egyik úttörője (1762—1851)

ihm geschaffenen Fachausdrücke, von wenigen Ausnahmen abgesehen, nicht in allgemeinem Gebrauch. Sie gerieten ebenso, wie sein an Verdiensten reiches ganzes Lebenswerk, gar bald in Vergessenheit. Eingedenk unserer fortschrittlichen Überlieferungen erachten wir die Ehrung ungarischer Wissenschaftler, denen sie zu verdanken sind, als wichtige Herzenspflicht, daher auch fürt notwendig, die Erinnerung an Mihály Kováts wachzurufen, sein Andenken in klaren Zügen festzuhalten. Vorliegende Arbeit soll ein Beitrag zu diesem wissenschaftsgeschichtlichen Vorhaben sein. SUMMARY Mihály Kováts {1762—1851) was one of the pioneering Hungarian scientists, who devoted their work to make natural science a common knowledge. The first complete chemistry in the Hungarian language (1807—8) is-attached to his name, but of no less abiding value is his creative work in other fields of natural sciences. It should be particularly appreciated, that, relying on a wide knowledge and instinctive materialistic outlook, Kováts was able to select from the manyfold scientific trends of his time the very one that later proved to be durable. He sharply opposes alchemy, and he ist the first to expose antiphlogistic chemistry in Hungary. He was also the first to take in his books a stand against mesmerism and homeopathy. He carried on a fierce fight against popular superstitions too. He grasped at every means of spreading knowledge: he wrote notices for first aid, a pharmaceutical book also for home use, and translated outstanding contemporary foreign publications aiming at education for a healthy life. Thus Kováts was the first to translate into Hungarian the Macrobiotics of Hufeland, the best popular medical work of the 18th century (1798). As a scientist he achieved the greatest fame with his mineralogical work (1822). As a result, he was elected member of several foreign scientific societies. It was the same work which earned him an invitation to the Hungarian Scientific Society (to-day Hungarian Academy of Sciences) as corresponding member in 1832. In order to be able to interpret these several branches of science in the Hungarian language, Kováts had to coin first equivalent