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

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

CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN VIENNA AND BUDAPEST 1. Letter ofDoz. Dr. med. univ. Marlene Jantsch to Dr. István Darvas medical historian Vienna, 12th January 1961. Dear Sir, Excuse me for answering your letter which has been furthered to me for direct arrangement by professor Schönbauer only to-day. First I had to find the study of Gyula Nyírő. It was published entitled "Die Krankheit von Ignaz Semmelweis im Spiegel der Psychiatrie" in "Das Deutsche Gesundheitswesen", Verlag Gesundheit, Berlin, vol. 15. Nr. 3. on the 21st. January 1900. pp. 150-158. The diagnosis "paralysis" was rather a common one until the discovery of the spirochaeten and the syphilis reactions. But if one reads the case history of Semmelweis, the supposition that here we have to do with a paralysis progressiva, is winning probability. I received the copies of the blocked case history with great efforts provided if I do not further them or publish them without alterations. Thus I can only give you some hints but I shall try to write a short article to challenge Nyírő and try to receive a permission from the proper authorities to publish it. The medical report signed by Wagner, Balassa and Bókay dating from 29th July 1865 is enclosed to the case history, it has come down to us. It points out that Semmelweis's mind has been disturbed in the last three weeks which makes it desirable to move him from his usual surroundings and activity and put him under the proper observation and psychiatric treatment in an institute for mentally disturbed patients. In a further report of Dr. Bókay he describes the character of Semmelweis preceeding his illness which corresponds to the analysis of Schürer-Waldheim. He refers to emotional instability and the lack of suffering contradictions against his doctrine. Five weeks before his taking to the hospital, his closest friends noticed a change in his manifestations and acts, he neglected his family, looked for pleasurers elsewhere, he shocked his family with his behaviour, and he got to drinking spirits quite opposite to his former habit. He became extravagant, he overestimated his income and underestimated his expenses. Although he did not master the Hungarian language perfectly, he planned to translate his works and the letters of Siebold into Hungarian in order to become member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He wanted to provide his work with his photographs and wanted to send it to 22 universities and for this reason he wanted to have 100 photos made. During the first examination in Vienna gangrenous symptoms were found on the middle finger of his right hand, in connection with the origin of which Semmelweis could not give any information. He was motorically very restless,