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)
G. Buzinkayt Hungarians on Great Britain, 1620—1848. (Observations on English Education and Public Health in Hungarian Travelogues)
ioo Medical History in Hungary 1972 (Comm. Hist. Artis Med . Suppl. 6.) Sutton for the purpose of feeding there 80 poor widowers who passed 50, and endowed as a school for 80 poor hoys who are provided with board and lodging, clothing and everything free of charge . Besides 29 boys who study at the college are granted 20 pound sterlings for 8 years . Those boys who will be given to learn crafts from this school receive 40 pounds. The in ome of this house is 600 pound sterlings . The director of the College is always a learned person who won fame for his writings ... On one side of it [i.e. Smithfield Market] is St. Bartholomew's Hospital , a foundation in a very nice building where the sick and wounded are admitted and cured under the best care. Here follows the well-known Bethlehem of Bedlam where watching the poor lunatics, human pride is pulled down and the presumptuous mortal being is remembered that he might have the same fate. It cannot be explained how it happens that the English who are so apt for sane thinking are so very much exposed to insanity. The nation is compelled to establish ordinary and even special buildings for lunatics . This Bethlehem Hospital is 540 feet long and 40 feet wide. There are 200 rooms for the unfortunate lunatics. Those who are poor and there is hope for a recovery, are received free of charge . The more opulent have to pay something each week . In front of it is St. Luke's Hospital of the same function where lunatics are received whose recovery is hopeless. Southwards is the London Hospital which is based on charity. There are 160 beds in it for wrecked people suffering in epilepsy and other unfortunate diseases . They are admitted here day and night from early in the morning to late in the evening, without any references . And because generally there are more patients than can be accepted, many of them are cured outside the hospital at the costs of the hospital . In the Christ Hospital orphans are kept and tought craftmanship", 3 6 These lines reveal the acknowledging surprise on the philantropic thinking of state and individual. The same was expressed by Bertalan Szemere in his witty remark though he already realized the appearing contradictions of laissez faire capitalism. "... You cannot see the poor of Paris , because she is a mother who hides her dirty children before the salon quests ; London on the other hand lets them walk around everywhere like another mother who —knowing that children are not naughty everywhere —is not ashamed of them " —he wrote in 1837. 3 7 Earlier Hungarian travellers reported only on the increasing consumption of alcohol. Szemere already took part on the meeting of a temperance society. "I have been lately on the annual session of the temperance society , from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Exeter Hall, where more then one thousand men and women were present, especially a lot of quakers. On the breast of the participants memorial coins with blue ribbons were hanging with different representation and legends . The meeting was opened with a prayer and several speeches were held against alcoholic drinks. Then a physician dripped three quarter of a pint of ale3 6 Zigán, op. cit. pp. 64-69. 3 7 Szemere, op. cit. p. 94.
