Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 45. (Budapest, 1968)
TANULMÁNYOK - József Antall: Sándor Lumniczer and the Medical School of Pest (Angol nyelvű közl.)
service rose to a height where it was able to fulfil its tasks in crisis and success alike. The developing political differences between Kossuth and Görgey, their mutual personal distrust left its mark on the medical service as well. Although here we cannot go into the details of this problem, being aware of the dangers of oversimplification, it is a fact that after the formation of the Szemére government the new minister of war, Görgey, put his man in Flór's place. In June, 1849 Lumniczer took over the leadership of the health department at the Ministry of War. His tact tried to mitigate Flór's bitterness by offering him the command of the field hospitals at Pest, but the latter did not alter his determination and retired. But Lumniczer did not owe his new position to political intrigues, but to the confidence of Görgey in his tested man, to the testimony of his medical and organizing ability, his courage, his soberness, and finally to the sympathy of the 31 year old general the to 28 year old surgeon-major. Görgey willingly accepted his advice and it was not accidental that after the battle of Ács— on Lumniczer's advice —Lajos Markusovszky treated the wounded commander. Markusovszky remained with him even in his confinement after the defeat, and after the Compromise it was he and Tivadar Duka who met the returning general, who was shunned even by his adherents and political friends. Görgey's memories and his statement to Gyula Janny in 1893 bear witness to his high estimation of Lumniczer, both as physician and man [21, 32]. Lumniczer started to direct the medical service with undeniable vigour and competence (at the same time performing operations at the central hospitals). He did his best to make up for the deficiencies, opened the bathing institutions of Buda for the wounded and ill soldiers. But his activity coincided with the last hours of the war: on the 3oth of June he received Kossuth's orders to dispatch all obtainable medical fieldequipment "without a minute's s loss" to Szeged, and even have all foundable equipment bought from private persons as well. Kossuth also asked him to send his medical attendant, surgeon-major János Obonyai with a portable pharmacy "because of my poor health" [22]. At Szeged Lumniczer treated the wife of the surgeon-major of the Italian legion, who happened to be his uncle, Schoepf Merei's wife. In a few hours she died in cholera, which Lumniczer himself contracted. He did not leave his post even in his illness, followed the government to Arad, and was present at the surrender at Világos. In punishment, he was enlisted in the Austrian Army as hospital attendant. This humiliating situation ended owing to good luck and friendship when he was put under surgeon-major Böhm, his former colleague in Vienna. Böhm even found excuse to send him to Pest, and gave him no other carman than another physician of Balassa's circle, István Sass [23]. BALASSA AND THE MEDICAL SCHOOL OF PEST In Pest Lumniczer found a silent country, due to Haynau's terror and to the activity of the head of the police, Prottmann, People were afraid to talk, to meet. Balassa was also imprisoned for two of his letters found among Kossuth's
