Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 66-68. (Budapest, 1973)

FORUM - Semmelweis kórtörténetének nyomában — Bécs és Budapest levelezése (magyar, angol és német nyelven)

our letter either, which we find utterly unusual. Instead of refusing the questions of refusing to answer these questions she—alluding to the prohibition—refuses the connections with us. No wonder that it has arisen rather unpleasent sensations in us. There are letters which deny the publication of the case history referring to the interest of the Semmelweis family. We can only wonder how they can advance such arguments after one hundred years of the death of the deceased. It is not out task to criticize legal arguments, we only should like to present the view of every living full-aged descendants of Semmelweis in this question: "Declaration In the service of scientific research, in the interest of scientific cognition and spreading scientific truth, we the undersigned, each full aged and direct lineal descendant of Ignác Semmelweis declare the following: Each document, case history, protocol etc. in connection with the death of our great-grandfather, i.e. great-great-grandfather which has come down to us either in original or in copies, can be handed over by the institutes where they are preserved and can be published in the "Orvostörténeti Közlemények" (Communicationes de História Artis Medicináé). It is our firm belief that there is no source material that could detract in any way from the greatness of Ignác Semmelweis— the Saviour of Mothers— and the merits of his life work. We are true to his spirit when we serve the cognition of scientific truth. We have given this declaration in order to releive the attachment referring to documents preserved in any institutions, archives in Hungary or abroad (primarily in Austria) and in order to overcome eventual obstacles which may arise from certain laws regarding this question in certain countries. Budapest, 22nd January 1971. Dr. Róka Gyuláné (Mrs. Róka) Dr. Bakay Árpádné (Mrs. Bakay) Takáts Zsoltné (Mrs. Takáts) Pettkó-Szandtner Aladár Dr. Pákozdy Károlyné (Mrs. Pákozdy) Menyhárt Tiborné (Mrs. Menyhárt) Dr. Hüttl Tivadar Hüttl Tivadar Pongrácz Tiborné (Mrs. Pongrácz) Dr. Fehér Miklósné (Mrs. Fehér) Dr. Lehoczky-Semmelweis Kálmánné (Mrs. Lehoczky-Semmelweis) Andreas von Lehoczky-Semmelweis"* We are going to publish the letters of personalities holding high office. We are not criticizing these letters, we only present them. We are not keeping on accusing, we are just asking. We are not protesting we are only sad that we have to consider this important material as lost and that it was not destroyed by the storms of wars (as it happened to so many precious treasures of our country in the past centuries) but it became lost by human negligence in 1963, in the * The descendants of Ignác Semmelweis living in Hungary at present signed the declaration on the same sheet. Andreas von Lehoczky-Semmelweis living in München signed an extra paper written in Hungarian and in German languages.