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)
E. Réti: Darwin's Influence on Hungarian Medical Thought (1868—1918) 157 J. Antall, A. Faiudy and K. Kapronczay: József Fodor and Public Health in Hungary
J. Antall—A. Faludÿ — K. Kapronczay : József Fodor iji Privy Council (1858), and his sanitary inspectors were busily compiling annual health reports to keep public consciousness awake and took up effective hygienic measures which have been directed towards the well-being of the people and towards the well-being of their environments. 3 4 Hungarian health policy was far less advanced at that time, and the question of securing public health by means of adequate legislation and administrative measures emerged only in the second half of the 19th century, in the period following the Compromise of 1867. (The Public Health Law was not achieved in fact until 1876, although the insanitary conditions in which the villages and the rapidly growing capital existed, demanded it most urgently). It was Lajos Markusovszky one of the foremost figures in the history of public health and education in Hungary, who turned Fodor's attention towards England. He himself had been there before, and was greatly influenced by the activity and achievements of the Chadwickian health reformers. Fodor received a scholarship in 1870 which enabled him to spend two years abroad. First he went to Munich to meet Max Pettenkofer whose experiments greatly contributed to the scientific development of the young man. Pettenkofer, provided him with good introduction to the English colleauges and on his arrival at London he was most heartily welcomed. He met among others Sir John Scott Bardoñ Sanderson (1828— 1905), then professor of physiology at University College in London who could provide him with every information he needed, based on his vast experience of his ten years' office as medical officer of Paddington between 1856—1866. He invited him to his laboratory in University College set up by Sir John Simon for experimental purposes in the field of hygiene where he worked with David Ferrier (1843 — 1928), then a young scholar. 35 Fodor carefully described his experiences and observations in his travel reports and sent them to the "Orvosi Hetilap 1 1 (Medical Weekly). As these reports describe his first impressions and lack a deeper understanding of the English public health system, they cannot be regarded as true reflection of the subject. However, they are true reflections of his attitude towards such questions and his wide-ranging interest in everything that has the slightest relevance to public health and hygiene. He describes everything what catches his eyes in the streets, in the buildings of London, in hospitals, and so on but always with a keen eye to sanitary questions. The personal style of his letters, the witty, often sarcastic remarks make his writings a most enjoyable reading, and at the same time reveal his deep interest in and dedication to the subject which characterizes him throughout his official career. He writes, e.g., in one of his letters that he suffers from cold weather, snow, and frost (he arrived at London in December 1870) but immediately adds: "...it has, however , its lucky moments: i.e. I am able to study the various heating- and ventilating equipments while working 1 1. 3 6 3 4 For the most comprehensive study on Sir John Simon see: Roÿston Lambert, Sir John Simon (1810—1904) and English Social Administration, London 1969. 3 5 Cf. J. Fodor: Úti levelek (Travel accounts). Orvosi Hetilap XV. (1871), No. 2, p. 29. 3 6 See Note 35.
