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)
M. Vida : Serving two Nations: Tivadar Duka (1825—1908)
i /¡_ 2 Medical History in Hungary 1972 (Comm. Hist. Artis Med. Suppl. 6.) Lumniczer, but István Görgey, the younger brother, —with whom Duka had established a life-long friendship —gave him account of the event. 2 4 Their correspondence reflects the lively interest Duka took in the negotiations leading to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise, in Ferenc Deák's activities and in Görgey's returning. Besides informing his friend on the developments taking place in Hungary István Görgey also helped Duka in publishing his writings and regularly sent him the Hungarian periodicals. Already on his first visit to Hungary Duka established contacts with both the Academy and the Society of Physicians: he was elected member of both. He was also elected corresponding member of the Academy in 1863 and held his inaugural lecture during his 1864 visit. In the next forty-four years, until his death, his constant effort was to keep contact between the Hungarian Academy and the scientific life of Britain and India. It was through his mediation that Spencer Wells, the successful initiator of ovariotomy, and three Bengalian orientalists, Arthur Grote, Stephen Atkinson and Radja Rajendralala Mi ra, were elected foreign corresponding members. From 1864 there is a marked increase in the number of the English (especially London) members of the Royal Hungarian Society of Physicians. It is strongly probable that Duka had no small part in it. In the case of George Pollock and Ranald Martin it is even proved as the archives of the Society preserved both their original letters of thanks and the Hungarian translation in Duka's handwriting. 2 5 At the extraordinary session of the Society on May 6 1864 Duka spoke on his medical experiences obtained in Bengal. 2 6 Before he returned to India in 1866 the cholera —after ten years' break — once more broke out in Hungary. It spread mainly over the counties'of Pozsony, Nyitra, Komárom, Esztergom, Pest and Fejér and lasted until the end of March 1867. 2 7 In Pest alone the number of the ill rose from 3526 to 10 260 in one week, out of them 3005 recovered and 3089 died. 2 8 In the next week 8069 recovered and 8509 died out of 23 4 07. 2 9 The centre of the epidemic was the capital where 50 per cent of the cases occured. 3 0 As to the spread of the disease the accepted view was that it was the result of some harmful material developing during the putrefaction of the excrement of those ill with cholera, therefore 2 1 István Görgey to Tivadar Duka, Pest, September 18 1867. MTA Kézirattár. Levelestár. 2 5 George Pollock to Endre Kovács-Sebestyén. London, October 15 1866. — James Ranald Martin to Endre Kovács-Sebestyén. London, October 11 1866. Budapest. Semmelweis Orvostörténeti Múzeum. Történeti Dokumentáció XI. 2 GSalacz, Pál: A budapesti Kir. Orvosegyesület jubiláris évkönyve 1837—1937. (The Jubilee Yearbook of the Royal Society of Physicians in Budapest.) Budapest, 1938. p. 163. 2 7 Gortvay, György: Az újabbkori magyar orvosi művelődés és egészségügy története. (The History of Medical Culture and Public Health in Modern Hungary) Budapest, 1953. p. 240. 2 8 Data based on statistics prepared by Lipót Grósz. Orvosi Hetilap, 1866. No. 44. p. 728. 2 9 Ibid. No. 45. p. 745. 3 0 All together there were 48 845 cases in the country, and 21 556 died.
