Kapronczay Károly szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 218-221. (Budapest, 2012)
TANULMÁNYOK - Varga Benedek: Antall József és a Semmelweis Orvostörténeti Múzeum, Könyvtár és Levéltár
22 Comm, de Hist. Artis Med. 218—221 (2012) SUMMARY The article places the efforts of the late József Antall as director general of the Semmelweis Museum, Library and Archives in organising a modern medical history museum in Budapest into the context of why and how did medical history museums emerge in Europe. Antall’s objectives preceded its age in respect of considering medical history not only a subject of the development of medical science but rather as the wide cultural phenomenon, the culture and organisation of healing. In order to understand what medical history collections represent today the article presents a historical survey from the Renaissance era up to the early 21th century historical scholarships and museum theory. By analysing the influence of various ideas and institutions of the history of science (historia naturalis, philosophia naturalis, Wunderkammer, universalism, pathological, anatomical collections, visual understanding, historicism, social position of medical professionals, open-gate museum, extra-national historical narrative etc.), and contemporary lines of historical scholarship on public collections the article claims that the importance of medical history museums today can belong to the mainstream interest of both professional historians, physicians and the public. Providing, of course, the museum stands for critically proved facts and views, and composes clear and relevant messages for the public. In the case of the Semmelweis Museum, Library and Archives this path has been started during Antall’s leadership (in the 1970s and 80s), which represented the first peak in the past of this institution and his legacy is still valid in quite many aspects today.
