Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 60-61. (Budapest, 1971)

TANULMÁNYOK - Veres Jenő: Fejezetek a szülészet fejlődésének történetéből Kárpát-Ukrajnában a XIX században

Summary The birthattendance in Hungary in the XlXth century was one of the worst in Europe. Still more distressing situation there was in Transcarpathia.* The primitive methods of birthattendance, prejudices and harmful habits hindered hard the development of practical obstetrical activity. During the first half of the XlXth century there took place no improvement in this field. The development began only from the middle of the second half of the century. But the aspirations of the enthusiasts directed at the improvement of birthattendance didn't get any substantial support from the state. The birthattendance was carried out apart of the medical practice. Also the problem of the obstetrical cadres was not solved during the whole century. Unofficial birthattendance was flourishing in the country. At the end of that century only about 30% of active midwives had the special obstetrical training. Only towns were provided with sufficient quantity of midwives. Almost half of the rural population in Hungary was left out of the qualified obstetrical attendance. The lack of cadres was especially sharp in the outlying provinces of country where the Transcarpathian districts were situated, in which two third of the village population had no possibility to get the attendance of trained midwives. The medical legislations which persued the aim of increasing of the quantity of obstetrical cadres and which ordered the measures in the improvement of organisation and carrying out of obstetrical practice couldn't promote the noticeable development of birthattendance because there were neither conditions, nor guarantees for the realisation of the medical laws and orders. The development of obstetrical schools in Hungary began only in the last quarter of the XlXth century. Transcarpathia got a possibility to provide itself with obstetrical cadres only in the last decade of the XlXth century. In this matter doctor E. Novak's activity played an important role. Only after that a slighting improvement in rendering birthattendance to the Transcarpathian population began. And still the indexes of birthattendance in Transcarpathia were worse than the everage state indexes during the whole period. At the same time high maternal and perinatal mortality was characteristic for the whole country. There was the end of the century when the improvement of birthattendance's results appeared. The absence of centralized and planned system of organisation of birthattendance hindered the development in this field. The backwardness of Transcarpathian and Hungarian midwifery was caused by the objective reasons —immaturity of the society for providing a good Care of Public Health, as well as by the subjective ones—unsufficient care of ruling circles about the health of wide masses of population. * The southern part of the Carpathians has belonged to Hungary till 1918, then to Czechoslovakia till 1938. Between 1938-1944 it was annexed partly again to Hungary. Since 1945 it is the territory of the Soviet Union. (Editor)