Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 45. (Budapest, 1968)
TANULMÁNYOK - József Antall: Sándor Lumniczer and the Medical School of Pest (Angol nyelvű közl.)
Conference on public baths convened by Trefort, at the establishment and organization of several institutions. He got his reward, was appointed royal councellor, ministerial councellor (1884), and a member of the Upper House (1885). There he spoke only once, in connection with the sanitary aspects of the Administration Bill. He also became a corresponding member of the Viennese Medical Association (1889), with Markusovszky and Korányi as the last survivors of the old school. But his main field was the service of medical science and medical education. Still in 1872 he was appointed extraordinary professor, but had to wait for professorship until 1880, as he was not a master in elbowing [38—39]. Meanwhile he frequently contributed to the Orvosi Hetilap, on fractures and dislocation of the cervical vertebra, shot in the stomach, plastic operations, surgical and gynaecological interventions. On the vacancy of the department of preparatory surgery Markusovszky and his friends decided to set up another surgical department, that opened the way to his appointment in 1880. Vilmos Tauffer drawn an attractive picture of his activities as a professor [40]. He supported the young, carried through by setting up an adequate number of posts for assistants to help the further training of the promising young physicians. "His great interest in modern trends" is especially emphasized, and the same was underlined by Gyula Janny in his memorial speech. This explains that he, essentially the first to appreciate Semmelweis in the Medical Association (October, 1865) [41], the guardian of his teachings, who—together with the other surgical professor, József Kovács— lived in the Semmelweis-inspired notion of asepsis, was later to introduce in Hungary Lister's antiseptic wound-treatment. His disciples sometimes returned straight from Lister, (Ákos Puky, for instance), and their intermediation greatly contributed to its quick spread. Lumniczer gave accounts of his experiences in articles, and later in like manner on the effect of the Koch remedy [42]. True, the conservative József Kovács was right in maintaining Semmelweis's principles, but Lord Lister's merits cannot be denied either. Although Semmelweis's doctrine survived Lister's teachings, whose methods of wound-treatment had become antiquated, but the spread of the theory of asepsis and antisepsis is practically linked with his name. His action—though unintentionally—furththered the recognition of Semmelweis's right, the latter's due appreciation. Lumniczer's scientific activity is well characterized by Janny, stating: "His works do not break fresh ground but always are on a level of their age, lasting and estimated pieces not only of national, but of universal medical science" [43]. His memory is worthy of being remembered, and in this spirit his mortal remains have been transferred in 1967 to the burial-place of the heroes of the "fortyeight", on the suggestion of the Semmelweis Medical Historical Museum and the Hungarian Museum of War. Let his life-principle stand here, as his testimony: "The idea of a solidly-trained physician comprises that he be true to his professional convictions under all circumstances, including his activities in practical life" [44]. (For footnotes see above, the Hungarian version of the article.) 84
