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

TANULMÁNYOK - Regöly-Mérei Gyula: A középkori és régi magyar egyetemek, különös tekintettel a budapesti orvosi kar jelentőségére a tudománytörténetben (angol nyelven)

Markhót with the plan of establishing a medical school in Eger, for since 1740 courses of law and philosophy had been working there. The plan to establish a university with four faculties was favourably met by Count Károly Esterházy Bishop of Eger, and after the royal assent had arrived medical education started in 1769 (Ringelhann). Soon after this however the establishment of the medical faculty of Nagyszombat was realized, which caused the decline of the "Schola medicinalis" of Eger. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE FACULTY The famous professor of the First Medical School of Vienna Gerhard van Swieten, the originator of the university reform of Vienna, was entrusted to make a project for the medical faculty of the University of Nagyszombat. Van Swieten was a sincere and unselfish friend of Hungary and also in this connection we recall his memory with reverence. A great merit of van Swieten is that he in person organized the medical faculty in Hungary securing for it five chairs—a considerable number even on the university scale of Europe in those days. The professorships were occupied by excellent pupils of van Swieten (e.g. Winterl, Plenck, Trnka). Opinions differed as to the seat of the medical faculty. Count Kristóf Niczky the later president to the Consilium Locumtenentiale even in those days suggested Buda for its having central situation and university traditions. His idea was realized however only years after, as temporarily the medical faculty was established in Nagyszombat. The intimatum* of Maria Theresia dated of November 7, 1769 was proclaimed by the Consilium Locumtenentiale on December 12. This document is very important also from the view-point of the general history of the Hungarian university education because it takes measures not only for the establishment of the medical faculty, but alters the character of the university by placing it under royal supervision instead of the ecclesiastic authority in force till then. Lecturing started on the Medical Faculty in autumn 1770, but difficulties arose in the small town. The insufficiency of corpses hampered teaching anatomy just in the time when the morphological tendency already had gained ground. The number of hospital beds being small it was difficult to realize bedside medical teaching of clinical character, just the thing that was emphasized by Boerhaave, Haen and van Swieten. There was no botanic garden either, or at least not a satisfactory one. For the sake of improving these unfavourable conditions it came to the removal of the university to Buda in 1777, where in the Civilian Hospital of Buda free scope was offered also to clinical teaching. * In this place we express our gratitude to His Magnificence the Rector of the Vienna University and to Professor Br. Dr. Erna Lesky Honorary Member of the Society of Hungarian Medico-Historians for having kindly sent the photoprint of the Viennes archival material asked for by our university.