Palla Ákos szerk.: Az Országos Orvostörténeti Könyvtár közleményei 19. (Budapest, 1960)

prof. dr. Kováts Ferenc: Jean Fernel hatása a gümőkór magyarországi irodalmára

ing to the records ha was headcook, member of the train which accompanied the betrothed daughter of Kristóf Báthory to the court of the Polish king. His high ethical sense is evident from his writings in the defence of surgeons. In his opinion the physician works with his brains, the surgeon with his hands; they complete each other for the benefit of the patient. In those times the profession of surgeon-barber was a much despised one. In this respect I refer to the books of Magyari Kossa. But small wonder: king Francis Joseph never conferred a chamberlainship upon a physician, being of opinion that anybody who is willing, for a gold-piece, to put his hand into the anus of somebody else cannot be an irreproachable knight. György Lentsés does not boast. He writes that his book is not meant for learned men but for those poor ignorants who can benefit by its contents. Lentsés writes throughout in Hungarian, stating however that the greek-latin technical terms do not express the original notions. If he has personal experiences he complements the subject with critical remarks. He probably had access to a good many medical books. It is safe to surmise that the books brought home by the students from abroad were kept in the libraries of the princely courts. Almost all writers of the Old- and Middle-Ages are mentioned in his work though he does not quote them methodically. He does mention, however, the names Ferenc, József and Adorján, who were doubtless Hungarian physicians and he also describes their medicines. Therefore it is the more surprising that he omits to mention Jean Fernel, the „french Galenos"; in the passage dealing with tuberculosis I found many similarities. Jean Fernel lived between 1485 and 1558; he wrote several books. His chief work: „Universa Medicina" appeared Ín 1567 and reached more than 25 subsequent editions. The 400

TH anniversary of his death was celebrated 2 years ago. He was an excellent mathematician and astronomer who calculated correctly the circumference of the earth; the name Lues venera was invented by him and the chapter about the maladies of the lungs is original and excellent. He knew that the malady may contagious, that its development may be latent, without symp3* 35