Kapronczay Károly szerk.: Orvostörténeti Közlemények 188-189. (Budapest, 2004)

KÖZLEMÉNYEK - COMMUNICATIONS - Koltay Erika: History of alternative medicine in Hungary in 19th and early 20th century. - Az alternatív orvoslás története Magyarországon a 19. és a korai 20. században

established in 1871; the Golden Hind pharmacy whose homeopathy section was supplied by drugs by Willmar Schwabe - it was established in 1866; and the homeopathy section of Angel pharmacy. A certain part of these pharmacies, or at least their homeopathy sections, were closed down after the nationalisation in 1949. The other important event of the year 1871 was the opening of the Department of Homeopathy at the Budapest Medical University: although the medical staff was against it, the decree of the Houses of Parliament gave consent to it. The Department of Experimental Pathology of Homeopathy was headed by Ferenc Hauszman, whereas the Department of Specific Pathology and Homeopathic Therapy was headed by Tivadar Bakody. (Zajta 1991:124) Homeopathy was used not only in the area of human therapeutics but in that of veterinary medicine as well. The publication of several books proves this fact: for example György Hübner. Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeon, Pest, 1865; Károly Böhm: Book on Homeopathic Veterinary Medicine for Public Use, Pest, 1864; August Günter: Guidebook of Homeopathic Veterinary Medicine, Arad, 1857. Despite the fact that it had its own institutes, that it was introduced into the training of physicians and it had its own specific periodicals, homeopathy was not as popular after the 1930ies as it was in the years before. Although in 1935 the International Conference of Homeopathic Healers was organised in Hungary, it was not enough to achieve a boom of the healing method within the country again. In the early 20th century the healing method was attacked more and more often, based mainly on the new discoveries in the area of biology, chemistry and physics. In 1949, when the Association of Homeopathic Healers ceased, homeopathy institutionally disappeared from Hungary until 1990. During the years of illegality, only a few physicians knew and applied this therapeutical method in Hungary. Out of the earlier socialist countries, it was Germany and the Soviet Union where homeopathy remained a legal form of medicine: consequently, the small number of physicians using homeopathy illegally in other countries acquired the special books and drugs from these two countries. (Information received from doctor Patay in an interview.) In 1990 the Presidency of the Scientific Committee of Public Health declared that there is no justified reason for prohibiting the use of homeopathic therapeutic methods in Hungary. As a result, in 1991 the Hungarian Homeopathic Association was formed, whose members can be exclusively certified physicians and pharmacists at present but, in spite of that, they are still not allowed to treat anybody by using homeopathic therapeutic methods within the institutes of the national health service. (They do it in their private practice, similarly to other alternative healing methods.) Still, homeopathy is also present in today's medical practice, however, the answer for the questions what position this trend will win for itself in public health care and how long its renewing boom will last still remain to be seen. Hydrotherapeutical methods Another great trend in the alternative medicine of the period (1830-1940) was hydrotherapy, whose popularity was greatly supported by the ideology based on a new approach to nature and by the new habit of visiting spas which became more and more