Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 66-68. (Budapest, 1973)
TANULMÁNYOK - Székely Sándor: Az 1876-os közegészségügyi törvény előkészítéséről (angol nyelven)
As dealing with the development of public health is the duty of the State, the statesmen are responsible for any harm that befalls our country because the affairs of public health have been ignored. We with our periodical requests for consideration have repeatedly fulfilled our professional and patriotic duty." 10 THE NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH COUNCIL Obviously, as things stood, the Government had no intention to draw up a bill concretely treating public health in its details. In fact the two recommendations available (that of 1848 and 1865) could hardly have provided an adequate basis for this. What was actually needed was taking the first step; to create a body which would collect data, make observations and put forward proposals while it was giving steady attention to sanitary problems, and would finally work out a fundamental law for public health. Probably the need for this prompted Baron Wenckheim, the Minister of the Interior, to commission four respected scientists— János Balassa, Jenő Jendrassik, Frigyes Korányi and Lajos Markusovszky—to draft another proposal. In fact the men mentioned referred to this need in the recommendation they elaborated: "It has been said that the Government requires first of all advisors and consultants and administrative officials in charge of current business and collecting data." 11 As a matter of fact, such an advisory and consultant organization was suggested by the MOT proposal of 1865, Paragraphs 1 through 7, under the title "National Health Council". After Balassa and his three colleagues elaborated their proposal, Minister of the Interior Wenckheim convened a conference at which the recommendations of 1848, 1865 and the proposition put forward by the four medical scientists served as the basis for discussion. The conference met on March 10, 1868, with Wenckheim presiding. Those participating included: Under-Secretary of State for the Interior József Szlávy ; Adolf Hollán, Chief of the Health Department at the Ministry of Interior, Ministerial Secretaries Lajos Grósz and Lajos Markusovszky, moreover all those who co-operated in the preparation of the recommendations on the agenda, and also a number of physicians occupying leading posts in the capital and in the provinces, altogether forty people. Having listened to the opinions of the specialists, the Minister of the Interior accepted the recommendation put forward by Balassa and his colleagues. This memorandum consisted of three parts. The Introduction gave a historical review of public health with special reference to the situation in Hungary. The second part contained proposals for the improvement of public health, and the third part dealt first with the structure of the State apparatus for health affairs and the organization of an advisory body attached to the Government. This latter section reads in part: 10 Orvosi Hetilap, 1867. Appendix No. 39, pp. 81-83. 11 Lajos Csatáry: Az országos közegészségügyi tanács 25 évi története (The 25Year History of the National Public Health Council). Budapest 1893. p. 78.
