Kapronczay Károly szerk.: Orvostörténeti Közlemények 182-185. (Budapest, 2003)

ADATTÁR - DOCUMENTS - DÖRNYEI Sándor: Kossuth és a gyermekkórház

SUMMARY Over 150 years ago, in March 1839, a philantropic society was founded in Pest whose objective was to build a hospital for the impoverished and needy children of the city. The society could rely on the support of the high society of Pest. Among many others especially Lajos Kossuth, the later leader of the 1848/49 revolution, played an active part in the organisation. Being a journalist, Kossuth advertised the idea in the liberal Pesti Hírlap and in various other newspapers as well. The hospital was eventually founded in 1837. Although the idea of erecting such a hospital received widespread critique as well, oddly, from medical students above all, its supporters succeeded in putting it on a strong financial footing, not the last, due to the campaign Kossuth was achieving in the press. The paper discusses the role Kossuth played in the process, the various kinds of support the hospital received and the public debate which overshadowed its foundation.