J. Antall szerk.: Medical history in Hungary 1972. Presented to the XXIII. International Congress of the History of Medicine / Orvostörténeti Közlemények – Supplementum 6. (Budapest, 1972)
I. Friedrich: The Spreading of Jenner's Vaccination in Hungary
I. Friedrich : The Spreading of Jenner's Vaccination in Hungary 149 OFFICIAL ORDERS IN THE CAUSE OF VACCINATION Laws which solved the public health problem caused by variola were passed only at the end of the 19th century, but the fight for such measures had started already at the beginning of the century. Among the first vaccinators we have mentioned Zakariás Huszty (1754— 1803), who started vaccination in the town of Pozsony in 1801. It was he who first conceived the idea that for the spreading and satisfactory cultivation of vaccination regulations are needed —anticipating the Consilium locumtenentiale and supported by the Pozsony town council —issued official orders for physicians and surgeons about the methods to be used in the case of vaccination. Arrangement on a national level is connected with the name of protomedicus Ferenc Schraud (1761—1806), who worked out the most important basic rules. On 13th March 1804 order No. 5524 of the Consilium locumtenentiale came into being which contained these basic rules: first of all it entrusted six towns with the storing of vaccine: Gyula, Zagreb, Kassa, Pozsony, Pest and Buda. The vaccinators were ordered to receive proper training. Care was taken that the vaccination for which permission was granted by the county physician, had to take place in the towns (in the county seats) in front of the deputy lieutenant, the judges of the County Court, the County Court, the local clergyman and all the other principals. The vaccinator was obliged to give an account of his work to the county physician as the latter and the protomedicus were responsible for the cause of vaccination. It was decided that all officials had to help the doctor in his work, and the enlightenment of the public was included in this task performed by the help of distributing books and other publications. Besides the clergymen were called upon to propagate the advantages of vaccination from the pulpit. In 1813 a royal decree placed vaccination under the control of the Consilium locumtenentiale and the protomedicus became its highest official. Vaccination was made obligatory in the whole country. The order of protomedicus András Pfisterer (1759—1824), included vaccination among the tasks of official physicians and he took care of the fee of the vaccinators. For those who worked in the villages five farthings (garas) were paid out of public funds after every vaccinated peasant child, but in Transylvania day's wages were given : twenty-five farthings for the doctors and twelve for the barbers. 2 8 Since 1814 the so-called vaccination found was introduced which consisted of the tenpences (10 krajcár), paid by couples intending to marry; the vaccinators were feed from this money. 29 The cause of vaccination was recognised bÿ the medical officer of the town of Esztergom, Mihály Lenhossék, who became the protomedicus later on. 2 8 Ková s, Mihály: Értekezés a himlő kiirtásáról. Lelkitanítók számára (Dissertation on the Extirpation of Variola. For Spiritual Teachers). Pest, 1882. p. 24. 2 9 Gortvay, György: Az újabbkori magyar orvosi művelődés és egészségügy története (The History of Modern Medical Culture and Public Health in Hungary). Vol. I. Bp. 1953. p. 16.
