Kapronczay Károly szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 226-229. (Budapest, 1914)
TANULMÁNYOK - Birtalan Győző: Az újkori orvostudomány barokk kezdetei
BIRTALAN Győző: Az újkori orvostudomány barokk kezdetei 35 SUMMARY Author summarizes the significance of the baroque medicine as follows: 1. In the 17th century some creative physicians attempted to use results of the renewed chemisty and physics in medicine as well. They adapted recently gained evidences and new methods of verification to medical resarch and tried to form their discipline more and more exact and quantity-based. 2. In the spirit of „ratio” and „experientia” clinical work - partly thanks to Sydenham - was groundly renewed and became more analytical, critical, evidence-based and independent as before. 3. After realizing that the mechanism of human body couldn’t be described as a result of merely physical and chemical processes, a detailed analytical resarch of biopathological phenomena was initiated. The best physiology of the age was written by Albrecht von Haller, who - based on animal experiments - described first the main vital reactions named by him irritability and sensibility. A fertile wave of researches was initiated by him resulting later in a much higher level clinical diagnostics and therapy. 4. Manual ability of surgeons also improved during this centuries. Development of tools and technics was astonishing. The dicovery and practical use of obstetrical forceps proved to be especially important. 5. Public health institutions were established and successful preventive measures were introduced, including inoculation against smallpox.
