Varga Benedek szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 149-157. (Budapest, 1996)

TANULMÁNYOK / ARTICLES - Huszár György: Balogh Károly professzor (1895—1973) életútja és iskolája. Születésének centenáriumára. Magyar és angol nyelven

Comrades", as was expected and hence customary in those days. Since none of those present was a "comrade" at heart, this politically correct greeting drew out a storm of laughter which subsided only after several minutes. When the laughter finally stopped, Lőrinczy continued as if nothing had happened. This small episode illustrates well not only the climate of the times but also the spirit of the clinic. In 1950, with co-authors Dénes Schranz and Sándor Boros, Balogh published a standard textbook, Dentistry, which was written for medical students and covered all the basics. (13) This book saw four editions. From the Department of Prosthodontics of the clinic came a 608-page monograph — Prosthodontics — in 1950, written by László Molnár, Dénes Schranz and György Huszár. The reviewer of this book (Imre Kemény, awarded the prestigious Kossuth Prize) considered it a milestone, noting its biologic perspective, and calling it the first scientific treatise of prosthodontics in the Hungarian language. (44) Balogh continuously encouraged the authors and endorsed the publication. Not so the authorities of the day: medical publishing was in the iron grip of the Trade Union of the Health Workers under the command of notorious Communist physician Emil Weil. When the authors showed the manuscript of their book to the representative of the publishing house, he asked money from them, saying that having their book in shop windows would be good publicity for their private practice. The authors did not oblige and only after a prolonged back-and-forth could it be printed, after the Trade Union of Health Workers abandoned medical publishing. (49) Later Prosthodontics was translated into Slovak and published by the Slovak Scientific Academy. (62) Balogh has sponsored the promotion to Privatdocent of numerous excellent dentists and oral surgeons, quite a few of whom were unfairly bypassed in the era between World War I and II. Among these were György István Fodor, Zoltán Franki, Gyula Máté, Rudolf Rehák, Dénes Schranz, László Sugár and István Varga. However, the Communist system soon abolished the category of Privatdocent. Titles earned by scientific merit could no longer be used. Instead, they introduced the three-tiered Soviet scientific system: aspirant, candidate, and doctor of medical sciences. (63) Balogh obtained the highests degree, doctor of medical sciences, without having to submit a dissertation or to take examinations. The attention and care which Balogh devoted to the dental education and oral hygiene of the rural population are characteristic of his sense of responsibility and his social consciousness. In 1945, he voiced the opinion that from a dentist's viewpoint, the rural population of Hungary was in a shamefully neglected, primitive state. (10) He went beyond this statement and in 1946 started one-month courses of dentistry for rural general practitioners in order to help improve the dental care of the rural population. In three years 15 such courses were held at the clinic and a total of 110 rural physicians were trained in the basics of practical dentistry. (28) For almost two decades Balogh was chairman of the Stomatological Clinic (later named Oral Surgical Clinic). He was simultaneously Dean of the School of Dental Sciences for almost a decade. The political aspects of his activity during his tenure deserve a closer look. In 1986, in my Commemoration, I wrote about Balogh (39) that "... it appears a sensitive question but has to be answered: How did Balogh fit into the health care system of our new democracy after World War II, since he was appointed by an extreme rightist government whose every member was later denounced as a war criminal?" (29) My answer to this question in 1986 was the listing of Balogh's results, archievements and successes, but there could