Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 100. (Budapest 2008)
Korsós, Z.: History of the Herpetological Collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum
foreign materials: those collected by GYÖRGY ALMÁSY (Turkmenistan), LAJOS BÍRÓ (New Guinea), ISTVÁN BOLKAY (Yugoslavia), ERNŐ CSIKI (Albania and Serbia), TIVADAR DUKA (East India), the FEJÉRVÁRY couple (Switzerland and Malta), KÁLMÁN KlTTENBERGER (Africa), ÖDÖN KOVÁCS (Abyssinia), GYULA MADARÁSZ (Ceylon), ÁRPÁD VEZÉNYI (Brazil), JÁNOS XÁNTUS (North America and Southeast Asia) were annihilated. Altogether approximately 40,000 specimens have been lost. 20-25 valid type specimens were also destroyed, including that of the snake Liasis maximus Werner, 1936, which was collected by LAJOS BÍRÓ (WERNER 1936), and MÉHELY'S type specimens, too. The South American snake collection donated to the museum by KLOBUSITZKY, and some specialities like the 4 Tuataras (Sphenodon punctatus) from New Zealand (a gift by F. WERNER) burnt to ash as well. Three-hundred Alpine Newt specimens from Berlin and 150 from the University of Bucharest on loan to DELY for his candidate of science dissertation were also lost. The whole extraordinarily valuable, specially preserved bone collection got burnt also: 3500-4000 specimens inch BOLKAY'S and FEJÉRVÁRY'S fossil types and the Alpine Newt skull collection by DELY (Fig. 31). The dry collection and the reptile skins, some 150-200 pieces, and 80-100 frogleg-preparations stored in glycerine - which formed the basis of FEJÉRVÁRY'S prehallux study (FEJÉRVÁRY 1925) - perished. The herpetological library (approx. 2,200 books and 500 separata) and all the furniture also turned to dust (Figs 32-33). RECONSTRUCTION AFTER 1956 The horrible devastation would possibly have destroyed all hopes of the Hungarian museology for the future, but there was an optimistic, self-taught scientist called ISTVÁN BOROS (1891-1980), who graduated in the Soviet Union, and who started rebuilding everything with immense enthusiasm, humanity and honesty (Fig. 34). BOROS was appointed director general to the museum in 1949, and he bore this title from 1 August 1949 until 29 July 1960 (KASZAB 1981). He started the organisation of the replacement of the destroyed collections and the rebuilding with incredible energy. Besides his many great tasks, he devoted much of his time to the popularisation of Darwinism (he wrote the introductions to the Hungarian Darwin-book editions and completed them with notes), to the increase of the herpetological collection, and to the writing of papers on the history of science (BOROS & DELY 1967,1968,1969). Many great exhibitions were created under his directorship: "Wildlife of Africa, The World of Minerals, The Evolution of the Earth and Life, The Evolution of Plants, The Origin of Men", and the popular touring-exhibitions were also started (BOROS 1952). BOROS lead a very adventurous life, which provides an authentic overview of almost the whole Hungarian (East European) history of the 20 r century. He got a degree in geology and natural sciences at the Pázmány Péter University of Budapest at the beginning of World War I in 1914. He finished in the same year as GYULA EMIK (1891-1965), who later became the leader of the Collection of Mammals and the director of the Department of Zoology. During their university years, they together dreamt of a South Russian expedition (BOROS 1969). The "excursion" was realised for BOROS, though it happened
