Kapronczay Károly szerk.: Orvostörténeti Közlemények 200-201. (Budapest, 2007)
TANULMÁNYOK — ARTICLES - FORRAI, Judit: History of a Special Healing Method for Motor-disordered Children: Conductive Education - A mozgásszervi betegségben szenvedő gyermekek egyik sajátos gyógymódja, a konduktív nevelés története
Poliomyelitis 58 Year No of paralysed children 1938 302 1949 298 1950 257 1951 310 1952 500 1953 313 1954 1176 1955 617 Soon, the two rooms in Alkotás street from the early days were too small. But initially the Institute was only extended a little: more rooms were put at their disposal. They not only treated bedridden patients but also outpatients, so-called ambulatory cases. "Many outpatients have arrived. In the early morning mothers push their paralysed little ones in small tricycles or in wobbly prams through the gate of the Movement Therapy Institute at No 53 Alkotás street. They were brought here by the after-effects of polio and by paralysing neural spasms. Inside eight rooms open off the narrow, dark, tiled corridor: 54 lucky patients can live and be treated here. There is no more room for others, because the young, twoyear-old Institute has already outgrown its initial accommodation. " 59 Even then, the Institute had achieved international reputation, with patients coming from England, Romania and Bulgaria. By doing his utmost, and using his connections to the fullest extent, Pető managed to achieve that his Institute would be built on the gently sloping downs of Villányi street, which was at that time still covered with vineyards. The actual construction dragged on for a long time, partly because of the bureaucracy of the time, and partly due to debates about financing. Pető fought hard for quicker and cheaper construction methods, because: "our Institute is not in point of fact a hospital, and therefore all the special types of construction and special equipment which are necessary for a hospital are not required here. The only important thing is that the Institute be built quickly and cheaply, because a whole range of such Institutes will be necessary covering the entire country. " 60 The Institute opened its doors on 22 nd February 1950, and Pető was appointed the following day. In his autobiography he recounts it as follows: "In 1947 I became a teacher in the Movement Therapy Department of the Teacher Training College of Special Education, and at the same time I was appointed Director of the Movement Therapy Ward at the Institute of Special Education. Out of this ward the Movement Therapy Institute of the College was born, which later became the National Movement Therapy Institute. I was named Director of the latter on 23 rd February 1950. " 61 5S Year Book of Statistics 1949-1955. Budapest, KSH, 1957. 316. 59 Szabad Nép 23. June 1949. 60 Szabad Nép 23. June 1949. 61 According to Anna Ratkó and the personnel department's file No 3360/P/38/1950 at the Ministry of Public Welfare
