Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 51-53. (Budapest, 1969)

TANULMÁNYOK - Antall József: A homeopátia és az orvosképzés Magyarországon (angol nyelven)

Portable homoeopathic medicine chest from the middle of 19

th century. (Semmelweis Medical Historical Museum) organizations, but mostly in influential circles. They managed to win the support of some municipal authorities. The question of homoeopathy even came before Parliament on 31st Jan., 1870. In the name of freedom of thought and free scientific research Károly P. Szaihmàry proposed "That the House shall decide to have a chair of homoeopathy established at the royal Hungarian university in Pest in this year and it shall instruct the minister of religion and public education to enforce this decision." The proposition was discussed in the following month during the general debate on education. After another address by Szathmáry Eötvös answered. In a detailed and expert speech he analyzed homoeopathy and dismissed the contentions of the

. sponsor. He admitted with tactful irony that traditional medical method indeed was "lacking principles" since "it always changed its system and methods according to the new discoveries made in chemistry

, physics, and physiology"

. So it would be inexpedient to establish an independent chair for homoeopathy, which is not an independent science, only a trend, a method within medical science. If the request were granted "the Hegelian, Kantian or Cartesian" schools of philosophy could equally demand independent chairs. But the well-organized chorus of the homoeopathy-supporting members was not satisfied with Eötvös's answer, which would have even made a good lecture. io6