Palla Ákos szerk.: Az Országos Orvostörténeti Könyvtár közleményei 12. (Budapest, 1959)

Dr. BENCZE JÓZSEF: A magyar nép mesterséges gyógyfürdőiről, a füstölésről és gőzölésről

by lease to bath attendants. The first of such public baths was founded by the town of Podolin in 1292. The bath attendants were not allowed to do more than prepare the bath and give massages, their activity however, especially in the beginning, often comprised also the job of barbers and surgeons. Later, towards the end of the 16th century, when barbers and surgeons had associated in guilds, bungling was closely controlled and bath attendants Who dabbled in barbers' or surgeons' jobs were severely punished. A graet number of lawsuits are known from these times, brought against bath attendants for trespassing of competence and even in cases of warranty. Hungarian calendars of the period equally testify of how fond Hungarian people were of artificial medicinal baths, often coupled with blood letting and cupping. Frequent epidemics, and warnings of the authorities, caused the popularity of public baths to fade and they did not become fashionable again before the end of the 18th century. Since the middle of the 17th century a few popular and even some medical books propound medicinal baths prepared at home to cure different diseases. Information gathered by the author in the archives of aristocratic families indicate the long established high fashion in aristocratic residences, palaces, and castles of medicinal baths prepared at home on the same lines, as prescribed in the recipes of simple Hungarian people. According to the author, these medicinal baths served the additional purpose of cleanliness, while the custom of smoke and vapor fumigation combined therapy with disinfection. Smoke fumigation is an ancient custom, probably taking its origin in primitive religions, in magical ceremonies, and handed down to younger religions, to Jews, Mahometans, and Christians alike. Vapor fumigation, however, is independent from smoke fumigation, and was applied as a curative. Its practice is as old as smoke fumigation, and the two were of ten employed simultaneously. They bear a further resemblance in the fact that both were employed by Hunagriam people at every major incident of life, beginning with birth, throughout the lifetime of the child, in supersticious belief, in illnesses as well as at the time of danger. The oldest Hungarian herbals (16th century), manuscripts, letters, and healing books (16th, 17th, 18th centuries) give evidence of the popular custom of smoke and vapor fumigation. Characteristic of the vogue known by smoke and vapor fumi-