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. Jeszenszky: Medical and Sanitary Conditions in Hungary as Seen by British Travellers, 1790—1848

ioo Medical History in Hungary 1972 (Comm. Hist

. Artis Med. Suppl. 6.) The two latter institutions are testimonies to the development of Hungary in the Age of Reforms, mainly due to individual efforts and not supported by any government policy. By contrast, the University did not show a similar progress. Following its transference to Pest in 1784 it underwent reforms in 1786 and 1808 — 09 respectively, partly contradicting each other.

4

0 The king wished for good citizens and not for enlightened men and scientists, and this spirit gradually gained ground at the university, too. Foreign influences and literature were excluded, political conformity was preferred to erudition, which resulted in mediocrity at best. When in 1815 Bright visited the university he still did not find it necessary to criticise what he saw and gave only a detailed description of the curriculum without any personal comments, although he, too, noticed that the number of students showed some decrease.

4

1 On the other hand he found much to praise in the hospital of the university, which he visited in the company of the botanist professor, Pál KitaibeL "The Clinical Hospital

... is small

, but excellently calculated both for the benefit of the patients

, and for the instruction of the pupils

... I was much pleased with the order and regularity with wich this hospital is conducted ; and am not sure

, that more celebrated institutions might not gather hints from the proceedings of this distant and almost unknown medical school."*

2 He was equally favourably impressed by the lack of religious discrimination at the university: .amongst the students of this Catholic country

4

3, many professed the evangelical Lutheran doctrines, many were of the Reformed church, many of the Greek church who had refused to conform, and ten were Jews. It is a lesson which leaves no room for comment

.. ,"

4

4 In 1840, however, Miss Pardoe took troubles to ascertain whether the criticism of the University both for its low standards and discriminatory practices, of which she had been told in Pozsony by "a very intelligent young medical man", had any foundations, "and found that they had in no instance been exaggerated

. He further assured me that, a Professorship once granted, the collegiate authorities gave themselves no trouble whatever on the subject of the eligibility of the cadidate for the task which he had undertaken : his class was assigned to him, and the students must attend it, whether satisfied or not, if the political tenets of the Professor were such as to render him a welcome acquisition to the Directors, and the Government."'^ 4

0 While the first incorporated the lower surgical course into the rest of the studies, the latter while raising the length of education to five years again separated the two. 4

1 Bright, pp. 271-4. 4

2 Ibid. p. 272. Bright spoke with great appreciation about Kitaibel "to whose kindness I was several times indebted while at Pesth"

, and who is "well-known by his writings in the scientific world." 4

3 Meaning of course the character of the Court and the whole government, whereas nearly the fourth of the population was Protestant. 4

4 Unquestionably a reference to the English universities. Both Oxford and Cambridge lifted religious restrictions only in 1854 and 1856 by Acts of Parliament. 4

5 Pardoe, III. p. 12.