Kapronczay Károly szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 218-221. (Budapest, 2012)
KÖZLEMÉNYEK - Gosztonyi György: Környey István (1901-1988)
GOSZTONYI, Gy.: István Környey (1901-1988) 125 raphic-functional connections of the aphasias. The investigation of the anatomical substrates of the disturbances of consciousness had always been in the frontline of his interest. The second group of topics, constituting perhaps the most outstanding part of his oeuvre, was the investigation of the virus diseases of the nervous system.29 His research activity just started in the early phase of the exploration of the viral encephalitides. His assessments and pathogenetic concepts were of fundamental, constructive character, which contributed also to the successful elaboration of vaccinations. He was considerably involved in the study of the neurotropic features of viruses, with special emphasis on the questions of the selective vulnerability of various brain areas. It is scarcely known that he, far ahead of the electron microscopic study of viral encephalitides, postulated in a review, in harmony with Goodpasture’s view, that the spread of viruses along neural pathways took place within the axis cylinders. Furthermore, he regarded the participation of some sort of a propulsive power (“treibende Kraft”), or of a fluid current (“Flüssigkeitsströmung”) in the axonal virus migration as absolutely necessary.30 The third group of topics involved the study of cerebrovascular disturbances. The results of the investigation of the diffuse disturbances of cerebral oxygen supply are of fundamental importance. The pathogenetic inferences resulting from the neuropathological studies gave soon directives to the elaboration of successive clinical therapeutic measures. In recognition of his scientific achievements he obtained numerous awards and honours. He became corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1947, and ordinary member in 1973. He was member of the Academy of the Natural Sciences Leopoldina in Halle since 1943, and was elected member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in 1973. He was honorary member of the Royal Society of Medicine, of the Société Frangaise de Neurologie, of the International Society of Neuropathology and of the German Society of Neurology. The latter Society honoured him with the Wilhelm Erb Memorial Medal in 1984, and, years before, he was awarded by the Endre Hőgyes Memorial Medal. For many years he held the office of the president of the editorial board of Ideg- gyógyászati Szemle (today: Clinical Neuroscience) , furthermore, he was the president of the Scientific Section of the Medical University of Pécs for six years, of the Hungarian Society of Neurology and Psychiatry from 1968 to 1972, and, in 1974, he acted as president of the Vllth International Congress of Neuropathology. He accepted these honours with refrained unpretentiousness and perfonned these tasks with great awareness and dignity. Környey created a school in his professional field. His working style, his principles of commandment impressed profoundly his pupils and co-workers. Although his pupils regarded his rigour and high demands with criticism, they adopted as leaders themselves more or less elements of the principles of their boss. From among his pupils 10 achieved university professor appointments in Hungary, and 3 of them abroad. A number of his pupils became heads of departments of neurology and psychiatry in hospitals all over Hungary. He supported his former pupils constantly with advice and deed. 29 Gosztonyi G.: Stephen Környcy’s contribution to the study of encephalitides. Comm.tie Hist. Artis Mod. 182- 185:77-91.(2003) 30 Környey St.: Akute, nichtspczifischc, nichteitrige entzündliche Krankheiten des Gehirns und Rückenmarks beim Menschen. Ergebnisse der Pathologie 36: 96-184. (1943)
