Kapronczay Károly szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 218-221. (Budapest, 2012)

KÖZLEMÉNYEK - Gosztonyi György: Környey István (1901-1988)

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Comm, de Hist. Artis Med. 218—221 (2012)

institutes in Europe, truly reflected the scientific atmosphere and accomplishments of Schaffer’s Institute (reviewed by Szirmai,3 Baran et al.4).

This series included two neuroanatomical/neurodevelopmental papers written by Kör- nyey. Soon thereafter, in 1926-27, he worked as a research fellow for the Neurological (“Obersteiner”) Institute in Vienna. Here, under E.A. Spiegel, he studied the changes in muscle tone of the trunk musculature under the influence of stimulation of mesencephalic structures. They argued that the reticular formation of the midbrain had a most important role in the regulation of muscle tone and of the level of consciousness. Their paper reporting these results5 was cited in the classic study of H.W. Magoun (1948) as fundamental statements concerning the function of the reticular formation.

István Környey

The end of the 20s brought a turn in Környey’s career. He was informed by Dezső Mis- kolczy that Heinrich Pette, from the Department of Neurology of the Hamburg University had been invited to Magdeburg, and was looking for a neuropathologist for his clinic. Környey applied for this position and Pette accepted readity his application6. From the very beginning of 1930 Környey was already working with Pette. Magdeburg opened a new

3 Szirmai I: Schaffer Károly neurológiai munkássága (The neurological oeuvre of Károly Schaffer). In: Bitter I„ Huszár I., Szirmai 1. (cds.): A Balassa utcai Klinikák 100 éve. Budapest, Semmelweis Kiadó, 2008, 64-89.

4 Baran B, Bitter I, Fink M, Gazdag G, Shorter E.: Károly Schaffer and his school: the birth of biological psychiatry in Hungary, 1890-1940. Eur Psychiatry.23:449-56 (2008)

5 Környey I., Spiegel E.A.: Tonusänderungen, insbesondere der Rumpfmuskulatur bei Reizung des Mittclhirnqucr- schnittcs. Arb. Neur. Inst. Wien 30: 121 (1927)

6 Merci F.T.: Környey István. A múlt magyar tudásai (Hungarian Scientists of the Past). Budapest, Akadémiai Kiadó, 1994. 216.