Magyar László szerk.: Orvostörténeti Közlemények 174-177. (Budapest, 2001)

KÖZLEMÉNYEK — COMMUNICATIONS - Kapronczay Károly: A short history of the urology in Hungaiy. — (A magyarországi urológia rövid története.)

In 1838 Imre Réczey published his school-book entitled A ' sebészi műtan alapvonalai (The Outlines of the Surgicaly Techniques) in Buda that gave a summary of the requirements and the factual knowledge of the instruction of surgeons at the medical school of the university in Pest. He wrote about catheterisation, the treatment of strictures and ulcers and the instruments used for such processes. He distinguished six possible modes of lithotomy of which he recommended lateral incision, high incision above pubic joint and the methods of the pressures through rectum and towards vagina. In each case he wrote about the mode of laying the patient, the number of the participants of the operation and the role and tasks of each assistant. For lithotripsy he recommended Civiale's method elaborated in 1824 that he applied successfully in innumerable cases. In his book in the first place he made known the methods of the French and the German surgical schools completing them with the experiences of his own surgical practice. He strove for safety and the fleeing of unnecessary dangers. He warned his students against "boldness" and urged the application of cautious and safe methods. 2. Urological surgery in Hungary in the middle of the 19 century In the history of the urological surgery in Hungary the activity of János Balassa (1818— 1868) was very substantial because he, who can be reckoned as the creator of the Hungarian surgical school, as a pupil of the German surgical school alloyed excellently the German, the French and the English operative experiences and methods in his surgical practice in Vienna. He obtained the professorship of surgery at the medical school of the university in Pest in 1843 which was a turning point not only in the education but also in the practice of the surgical clinic of the university. He applied inhalation anaesthesia among the first in 1847. This method was first presented just in the autumn of 1846 in Boston. He applied Pravaz's syringe, urine analysis, microscope, electric appliances and in 1861, for the operations of oral cavity, Czermak's laryngoscope, for his everyday work. He published his surgical atlas among the first in 1865, that was considered a significant work on surgery in the contemporary Europe. As early as that he worked in Vienna as a surgeon, he performed many urological operations he made known in his publications written in German. Even at that time he urged to be very careful when performing vesicular operations, warned of the dangers of suppuration happening very often and the aftermath of the coarse scarring. He was willingly engaged in lithous disorders of urinary bladder about which he issued many publications in some Viennese medical reviews. By reason of it, he was asked by Albert Gross, the professor of surgery at the medical school of the university in Louisville in the U. S. A. to summarise his experiences gained in this respect. In 1855 he wrote a significant study about his experiences of 12 years. Its Hungarian translation was the introductory study of the first issue of the Orvosi Hetilap (Medical Weekly Paper) started in 1857. János Balassa gave account of his 135 nephrolithiac interventions. 92 of them were cystotomies, another 30 were lithotripsies. He resolved the removed stones into their elements and based his suppositions about their origin on this chemical analysis. He thought bladder stone was the result of malnutrition. He examined the chances of its chemical dissolution. He reported also that 11 of his patients of lithotomy died. The cause of death was either chronic nephri-