Varga Benedek szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 147-148. (Budapest, 1994)

TANULMÁNYOK - ESSAYS - Antall József: Az orvostörténelem helyzete Magyarországon (magyar és angol nyelven)

THE POSITION OF MEDICAL HISTORICAL SCHOLARSHIP IN HUNGARY* JÓZSEF ANTALL Investigating the position of Hungarian medical historical scholarship we shall see results and shortcomings, and decades if not centuries long obstructions. There is no space here for presenting the historiography of medical history, neither for an apologia of this discipline, a discipline which lies between history and medicine. Obviously, the interests, the evalaution and regard of the two "mother disciplines" have determined the weight and development of medical history. None of them treated the history of medicine well. There is some sense in the phrase: "história medica est ancilla medicináé et históriáé". Our objection could only be to expose a real set of requirements that might be regarded as founded expectations, and required standards for medical historical scholarship in Hungary today. We have already dealt with the international condition of this scholarship and its position in the curricula of various foreign universities. You can find many articles on these problems below, in the list of literature. It is probably not due to regret when I mention that though during the last decades many historians of medicine tried to present the situation of medical history and made various suggestions, these were not taken seriously and consequently most of their points are still valid. I remind the reader the papers of Tibor Győry, Lajos Antal, Gyula Regöly-Mérei — and we could continue the list — and their remarks on medical education and science policy. As Bálint Nagy reminded: "Antal (in 1931) claims the need for an institutional organization of medical historical scholarship, which could facilitate and promote researches and collect enthusiastic and devoted young scholars. He asks for the contribution of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), which has just been brought about from the shock of its destitute, and which — by means of special awards — could advance Hungarian medical history. ' ' Elekes in 1937 dated back even earlier times, when he quoted an article of the Orvosi Hetilap from 1870: "...the buildings of universities are about to be finished. There is a prospect for a chair in the history of medicine. ' ' It is probably worth to remember that among supporters of medical history, and not only among those who were themselves involved in these researches, how many outstanding personalities appeared. Frigyes Korányi reminded in his commemorative sermon to Lajos Markusovszky that in connection with the national health reform bills in 1848 János Balassa and Lajos Markusovszky had stood for medical history, and "due to these efforts ... the importance of this subject was realized by the general public. ' ' Researches on the history of medicine were also supported by Endre Hó'gyes (who was the chairman of the medical historical committee of the Medical Association), by Árpád Bókay (who suggested to set up a professorship in this subject), by Emil Grósz and Sándor Korányi to mention but a few names of outstanding Hungarian physicians. In recent years many rectors, and professors of medical universities emphasised the importance of medical history, as the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences did, who gave his utmost attention to the work of medical historians, and even made it a part of his literary activities. I should also mention that the Minister of Public Health, who * Originally published in the Orvosi Hetilap 1981. 10. pp. 555—60.