Horváth Attila – Bánkuti Imre – H. Tóth Elvira szerk.: Cumania 3. Historia (Bács-Kiskun Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei, Kecskemét, 1975)
Lóránd N.: Adatok Bács-Kiskun megye gyógyszertári hálózatának kialakulásáról és neves gyógyszerészeiről
NÁNDOR LÓRÁND SOME DATA ON DEVELOPMENT OF THE OFFICINAL NETWORK IN COUNTY BÁCS-KISKUN AND ON SOME FAMOUS CHEMIST The author — in his work dealing with the past of the pharmacies in Bács-Kiskun — informs us in brief about the short history of the pharmacies in the county, and at the same time he touches upon the biography of some significant chemists as well. He has collected these informations about the pharmacies and chemists of the county with the very purpose that they be attainable at the same place, and that they help to complete the picture — with some details of our sanitary past — on the general cultural development of the county. All spheres of scientific research knows a rule: the basic demand of our historical research must be taken into its own age and circumstances. So the author sketches the historical background first of all that will properly enlighten and partly explain, the motives being today nearly unintelligible. The territory of the present county has been formed from four ancient (but later administratively several times reorganized) counties. This territory which suffered quite many changes in its history — has as varied past for its medical services and treatment as for its boundaries and administrative relations. We dare say that medical treatments and medicines are as old as mankind. We know the fact as well that the knowledge of therapies and medicines, their scientific application is one of the measures of the cultural level of a nation. The researchers of the more and more developing etnography often meet some phenomena the explanation of which leads to customs, traditions taken to superstitions, names of plants, mixtures, magics and legends. The mystics of religion and curing belonged together even long after the spread of Christianism. In Hungary in the 11—13th centuries priests and monks started acquiring the profession of curing and medicine-producting, and based upon their studies abroad they established and maintained hospitals and pharmacies in their monasteries. The rich scientific discoveries of the 17—18th centuries highly influenced the development of medical science and pharmacology all over the world. In the 18th century the public sanitation of our country was reformed mostly by the establishment of the Hungarian Royal Council of Governor-General and the Medical Faculty of the University at Nagyszombat. The Council of Governor-General was organized in 1723. During its work it took several sanitary measures, too. The Sanitary Committee formed in 1738 also belongs to these, its most important duty was to prevent the spread of epidemics being quite ominous at that time. It ordered in 1752 that governmentboards should establish the post of „physicus Ordinarius" in the counties and independent royal towns, whose duty (among others) was the temporary supervision of pharmacies. It ordered at the same time to set up pharmacies at least in the central town of the county if there hadn't been any. It kept the right for giving and establishing pharmacies in its own possession from 1748, and ordered in 1759 that the chemist should be forced to sit for an exam at the physician in chief, and he could be a chemist with full powers only after this exam. At the same time we have to mention that these measures of the Government Board w r ere sometimes opposed by the counties themselves. And the backward, exploited population was decimated by several wars and epidemics. The imperfect sanitary supply necessaryly caused the people's self-curing and the spread of charlatanry. Of course this situation highly influenced the sanitary circumstances of this historical period. Experts 178
