J. Antall szerk.: Medical history in Hungary. Presented to the XXII. International Congress for the History of Medicine / Orvostörténeti Közlemények – Supplementum 4. (Budapest, 1970)
MEDICAL HISTORY IN HUNGARY - E. Schultheisz L. Tardy: Summing-up of the Past and Present of Hungary's Medicohistorical Research Work (in English)
versitÿ of Pest. Later, certain professors have lectured as temporary lecturers on this subject. This, too, speak for that there existed a demand for the subject and only had not been accepted by the authorities; Markusovszky had been the one to call attention to this fact supporting his standpoint also by that the Orvosi Hetilap (Medical Weekly) edited by him, has set a prize for a work discussing the history of Hungarian medicine [7], Lectures on a university level could only be attended by medical students just for a few semestres held by Zsigmond Purjesz, Sen . (1845—1896) who had gained his degree as assistant professor in the subject of medical history of the antique world in 1877. The Hungarian medicohistorical literature of the 19th century is abundant in both summarizing monographs and studies elaborating certain parts. So, for instance, already Ferenc Toldy (Scheđel), being called the "father of Hungarian History of Literature", has elaborated and classified the literature in his medical dissertation (Physiologia pulsus, Pest, 1829) on the question of the physiology of pulsation, from Galenus on [8]. When appointed professor for dietetics, in his inaugural address, he has given a survey not only on his subject, the "science of physiology",but the entire history of medicine. The series of works of medicohistory had been opened by Paul Losÿ, in his doctoral dissertation, published in 1839 "Dissertation on the periods of medical science" (Pest, 1839). Significance of the work is due to the fact that it is the first medicohistorical book written in Hungarian. From the ancient world up to the time of the publication of the work, the history of medicine is discussed, dividing it into five periods. He gives a clear-cut picture presenting in a few lines the medical view of the period in question, i.e. the characteristic medical systems of the said period. Although it is not a medicohistorical work in its aims, Francis Xav . Linzbauer's (1807—1888) book of three volumes in five parts, the Codex sanitariomedicinalis Hungáriáé (Buda, 1852—1865), is nevertheless the most important encyclopaedia of Hungarian medicohistory, especially as regards the history Hungarian Public Health and health organization. This work written with great thoroughness has conserved royal and regency decrees in reference to Hungarian hygiene and the content of documents still to be found. The diplomatorium of Hungarian public health from King Stephen the First up to 1848. Linzbauer's other book, "The international hygiene of the countries of the Hungarian Crown" (Pest, 1867), deals with the history of development of the single branches of hygienic trends and contains several most valuable and interesting data from both medicohistorical and administrative historical points of view. In the course of the 19th century, the activity in the field of medicohistory had not much to do with the work of the university. Those who have dealt actively with medicohistorical literature did not belong to any so-called "school" and their work, except that of Demkó, have been the result of private enterprises. The comprehensive work of Dr . Lajos Fekete (1834—1877), medical officer of Kisújszállás was "The Short History of Medicine" (Pest, 1864). The author in his introduction writes, "that the field where I try my weak efforts, was bare in our national language and I have lent my attention to it only to eliminate every field, every science which is forced to be deprived of the magic word of our beloved national language ". The first work on epidemiology has also been written by
