Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 57-59. (Budapest, 1971)

TANULMÁNYOK - Zoltán Imre: A budapesti egyetem és a magyar orvostudomány mesterei (angol nyelven)

construction of new buildings started in the last two decades of the 19

th century. The central buildings of the University were gradually constructed in the course of bout 30 years, starting in 1880. These include offices, theoretical institutes and clinics, still forming the main body of the University. It should be emphasized however, that the development of the Faculty of Medicine was hindered not merely by material difficulties. The political and social background delaying for many centuries the foundation of the Hungarian Faculty of Medicine was not much better in the 19

th century and remained like that till the middle of the 20

th century. In the first half of the 19

th century, when the ideas of the enlightement delineated clearly the necessity of political and social transformation in our country as well, the University and the Faculty of Medicine had to fight not only for its independence and material subsistance, but also for the right to use the Hungarian language at the University. The political oppression imposed on the nation following the 1

st war of independence of 1848-49 silenced our entire cultural life and rejected thus by decades the development of the University as well. The relative political consolidation and the economic development of the country created the basis for the abovementioned development of the University and of the Faculty of Medicine in the last years of the century only. The ideas and aims of the great Hungarian doctors of the 19

th century came to be realized—at least in part—only in this period. We mention only a few of them, like Balassa, Markusovszky, Korányi and Bókay. These names mark the birth of Hungarian Public Health and the development of the present structure of the Faculty of Medicine. The relative quiet period however didn't last very long. The new installations of the Faculty of Medicine were hardly finished, when World War I. broke out. During the war the Faculty of Medicine was abandoned. The majority of students and teachers were serving in the army and the clinics became reserve-hospitals for the army. There was no question of a real university life and even less of development. Looking back very briefly on the history of the Faculty of Medicine from the time of its foundation until the outbreak of World War I. we have to admire and honour our great predecessors, who—often in critical periods—did remain at the peak of their profession, who

—in spite of all

—rose above the level of their contemporaraires. Hungarian Medical science, which is essentially as old as the Faculty of Medicine, has acquired recognition in our country in the last 200 years. This fact is due to the doctors, who in spite of all difficulties, often in contrast to the prevailing ideas of their epoch lived with full heart for their profession and their science, bringing it ahead and serving with their whole life the idea of humanity. A great number of these belonged to the teachers or students of our University. There is no time to enumerate all of them, therefore I will restrict myself to mentioning only the most outstanding ones. Ferenc Bene taught theoretical medicine and later special pathology and pharmacology at our University. He founded in 1841 Conferences of the Hungarian Doctors and Biologists. His textbook entitled "Elementa Medicináé Practicae'

f was being used in a number of universities abroad. His great merit is that he