Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 55-56. (Budapest, 1970)

TANULMÁNYOK - Zoltán Imre: Semmelweis (angol nyelvű közlemény)

After the unanimous approval of the university, the Presidential Council addressed a circular to all district authorities on September 1st asking them tc give careful consideration to the contents of Semmelweis's book and thus the first step has been taken towards the compulsory introduction of the prophylaxis advised by Semmelweis. The book in question is his epoch-making work which appeared at the end of October I860 entitled: "The Aetiology, Concept and Prophylaxis of Puerperal Fever." It was exasperation that prompted him to set pen to paper. His exasperation was due to two reasons. First, with a few exceptions the outstanding obstetricians had all refused his doctrine and claimed to have been among the first to doubt the truth of his conception. Braun, Scanzoni, Späth, Kiwisch, the French Academy and Virchow all took stand against him. Virchow went so far as to call him a speculating fellow. The other reason of his despair was self-reproach. Since his lecture held in May 1850 at the Medical Society in Vienna,— Semmelweis had been silent. He was firmly convinced that the evident truth of his discovery would speak for itself and there is no further need for him to speak or write again. In the late eighteen-fifties, however, he began to understand that it was a mistake on his part. In the introduction of his book he writes the following: "It may be considered a proof of my aversion to polemics that I have left unanswered so many attacks, but I believed that I could let the truth fight its way through. After waiting for thirteen years I find that my hopes had been unfounded ....... I have been made responsible by fate to reveal the truth which this book contains. I have given up hope that a just and righteous case can emerge victorious without a struggle. I must no longer think of my own disposition but must remember the lives that should be saved, depending on whether I or my adversaries win / think it would be a crime if I remained silent and trusted to time and unbiassed observation for my teachings to prevail." Semmelweis sent his book to all prominent obstetricians and medical societies abroad. He impatiently waited for the reaction. He did not have to wait long. But most reviews took a stand against him. He was embittered to learn, that the majority of the prominent representatives of obstetrics either ignored his book or belittled it. The hostile reception of his book weighed him down. Losing his patience he planned a general attack against the leading obstetricians of his time. He dipped his pen into ink and wrote his new famous "Open Letters", the first to Späth and Scanzoni, the second to Siebold and Scanzoni and the third to all professors of obstetrics. His last Open Letter carries the text of those letters he had received after the publication of his book and Open Letter from those who approved his teachings. He must have been pleased with the letter of Pippinsköld, Professor of Obstetrics and Paediatryin Helsingfors, informing him that his own experiences corroborated Semmelweis's teachings. He received letters with similar contents from Pernice, Professor in Greifswald, Veit, Professor in Bonn and Kugelmann gynaecologist in Hannover. Kugelmann had written Semmelweis two letters of encouragement and recognition. In his second letter he expresses his admiration