Palla Ákos szerk.: Az Országos Orvostörténeti Könyvtár közleményei 17. (Budapest, 1960)

Dr. Földes Vilmos: Kuruzslók és javasasszonyok

Quacksalber und ihre schädliche Tätigkeit sind mittels allgemeiner Aufklärungsarbeit und der Bekanntmachung in möglichst weiten Kreisen der Heilerfolge der wissenschaftlichen Medizin und mit der Entfernung von Kurpfuschern zu bekämpfen, die als „Heilmittel" sich des Betrugs bedienen. SUMMARY Quackery, which is punishable by law today, may be spoken of only there ant then, where and when orders (medical profession or others) practising treatment of the sick have been formed. The problem of quackery is to be sharply separated from that of popular healing, which differs from scientific medicine not only in its ways and means, but also in its fundamental principles, yet is not identical with quackery. Popular healing is part of the inexhaustible world of popular beliefs and customs. Popular treatments are based: on „the global view of the people of the world", on its „egocentric integrity", magic conceptions, on fixation to the environment and on ,,analogy" and ,.sympathy", which are associated elements of popular psychology. Superstition plays an important role in the „aetiology according to creed", in the popular views concerning the origin and cause of diseases. The most common and dangerous activities of quacks and „wise women" are bewitching and its various forms: ,,bewitching at night", „spilling", ,,binding", etc. These continoue to live in swears (blasphemies), but have lost their mistic significance. In the popular view concerning the cause of diseases also „forbidden deeds" are significant. Now they have importance almost exclusively in education to good manners. Natural forces and phenomena (sun, moon, stars, wind cold, etc.) are likewise important in this respect. Popular diagnosis and treatment liked mistic circumstances. After exposure to the „evil eye", bewitching, for example, one has to „undo" them and the medicine man or woman performed in such cases the „looking", ,.measuring" etc. activities. In prevention of diseases methods for „keeping away", ,,avoiding", misleading, hiding have been practised. The popular healer may be scientific ,,by hercditiy" innately". He is respected because of his human properties, abilities, sometimes because of his looks and successes in therapy; quacks are often prominent because of artificial propaganda. In the fight against quacks proper instructive propaganda should be carried out to make known the achievements of curative medicine in wide circles and quacks operating fraudulently should be banned.