Palla Ákos szerk.: Az Országos Orvostörténeti Könyvtár közleményei 24. (Budapest, 1962)

An unknown autograph of Semmelweis

whatever it may contain, are of primary importance if we want to shed light on an individual, an epoch or a period of our past, or if we wish to conclude their history. The autograph bears no date, therefore the question remains, at what time it has been written. Deduction permits us to limit the period to four years. Lajos Arányi was qualified as a lecturer at the University of Pest in the academic year 1843 44 and nominated professor of pathological anatomy in 1861. Semmelweis held the chair of gynaecology at the same University from 1855 till his death in 1865. ! Arányi signed the above document as "Professor", i. e. at the earliest in 1861. For want of other proofs we must take it that the report has been made between 1861 and 1865.