Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 66-68. (Budapest, 1973)
TANULMÁNYOK - Székely Sándor: Az 1876-os közegészségügyi törvény előkészítéséről (angol nyelven)
Corps of Physicians, which, however, different from the proposal of 1848, could no longer include every Hungarian physician, but would have members ex officio and elected members. The draft bill made the following recommendations for its scope and membership: "The Corps of Medical Science is an advisory, consultative, active scientific and supervisory body and at the same time the representative of the whole class of medical scientists and a forum of appeal in regard to all topics concerning the ethics of conduct with patients. Its members are all the members of the National Health Council, all the Full Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors, and medical scientists to be elected from the rank of the country's physicians with a majority vote in a number to fill up the Corps so as to include one-twentieth of the medical estate." 7 Incidentially, the proposal consisting of 66 paragraphs contained a larger number of concrete ideas on public health measures and other medical tasks than its predecessor, but the emphasis still remained on the development of a medical organization. The plan accepted at the Congress of Pozsony was published in the Orvosi Hetilap (Medical Weekly), and stimulated a wide response. It was generally welcomed, but some of its paragraphs called forth some critical comments. Zsigmond Reichenberger, the Chief Physician of one of the Transylvanian counties, for instance, pointed out a significant problem, namely that a health organization with only the right to make its opinion heard, but not empowered to do anything, could hardly be expected to function successfully. In connection with the cholera epidemics of 1865-66 in Vienna, Prague and Pest, Reichenberger wrote that the municipal councils were rejecting the proposals submitted by physicians to check the epidemic. "As it is evident," he wrote, "the regrettable fact that the medical officers are completely without authority and do not possess the least influence on the execution of the suggested measures is everywhere and in all ways detrimental to the handling of public health." He suggested that the new medical bill should be based on the following provisions: 1. The public health administration should be one of the most important branches of the government, an entirely separate branch; 2. The government and local administrative authorities should carry out the instructions of the medical officers exactly and without delay; 3. The health personnel, the public health apparatus, should be an independent body headed by a medical department operating in the ministry, and the county and city physicians should be subordinate to it. 8 Of course, the MOT executive forwarded the draft bill on public health as passed at its congress in 1865 to the Government. No official reply was, however, received and nothing happened. This was in fact little wonder, for by that time, the Government was busy preparing the Compromise of 1867. The famous Compromise restored Hungary's statehood as part of the Dual 7 Orvosi Hetilap (Medical Weekly), 1865. Appendix No. 40, pp. 49-54. 8 Orvosi Hetilap, 1866. pp. 76-77.
