Antall József szerk.: Pictures from the Past of the Healing Arts / Orvostörténeti Közlemények – Supplementum 5. (Budapest, 1972)

Pictures from the Past of the Healing Arts (Guide for the Exhibition)

The work of Giovanni Battista Morgagni (1682-1771), professor of anatomy at Padua University, laid the foundations of pathological anatomy. His important contribution to medicine is the discovery that certain diseases bring about specific lesions in the organs and as soon as these symptoms are seen the diagnosis of the disease can be concluded. The recognitions of Morgagni contributed to the development of pathological medicine and as a result of it the possibility of causal treatment could be realized. The main feature of the life-work of Ha ler and Morgagni is that their theories are of equal importance with their results in practical medicine. In the show-case below their portraits there are two table microscopes on wooden stands to be seen and a small portable microscope with copper handle, together with the complete works of Morgagni published in 1765 entitled "Opera omnia", and the work of Sámuel Rácz (1744-1807), the first Hungarian professor of medicine, entitled „A skarlátos hidegnek leírása és orvoslása" ('Description and treatment of scarlat shivers') published in 1784 (Fig. 37.). Sámuel Rácz was a physician of ardent patriotism. "Who dared to speak Hungarian among us, he was the first!" remarked one of his pupils. (At that time the official language of the lecture in the university was Latin). Toldy characterizes him as follows

: "From anatomy and physiology to pathology and therapy he worked on the whole of medicine". As a counterpart of the photos illustrating coins referring to medicine, a vertically arranged panel presents the history of the development of the microscope. 18th century medical practice is presented in a long show-case in the middleof the great hall (Fig. 38.). Among the surgical instruments special mention should be made of the lancets, trocars, fistulas, trephines, catheters, etc. The rudimentary, roughly executed extracting forceps are displayed on the cartoon of Delaporte representing a "successful" tooth extraction. The obstetric forceps, one of the earliest Hungarian handicraft products, is given a prominent place. The same field is represented by the labelled obstetrical kit covered with leather, which was made in the Malliard's workshop in 1793. It still contains some of its original obstetrical instruments. (Fig. 39.). A fashionable way of treatment in that age was "enema". Next to a French caricature a clyster of great size can be seen. One of the most interesting objects of the show-case is a contemporary coffee-mill made by a smith, which is nicety accompanied by a chapter from Mátyus book entitled "On KofFe, Kaffé or Kávé" (Fig. 40.). In comtemporary Hungarian literature concerning health treatment the popularizing books for "home-treatment" must be separated from the scientific works on medicine. We present some typical examples from both types. As to the former one: János Kömlei's (1725-1802) „Szükségben segítő könyv" ('Book