J. Antall szerk.: Medical history in Hungary 1972. Presented to the XXIII. International Congress of the History of Medicine / Orvostörténeti Közlemények – Supplementum 6. (Budapest, 1972)
D. Karasszon : Gensel and Sydenham
ioo Medical History in Hungary 1972 (Comm. Hist. Artis Med. Suppl. 6.) of view of the development of public health, too. The Plague that decimated the armies of Rákóczi was so widespread that according to some historiographers "between 1709 and 1713 it was Black Death which ruled over Hungary " (7). In order to overcome the destruction caused by the Plague, Public Health Committees were founded in the towns and on the basis of the experiences of the dreadful Plague of 1738/39 a National Standing Committee of Public Health (Comissio in Re Sanitatis Stabiliter Ordinata) was established under the chairmanship of the primate of the country (13). The organization of national and later county Public Health Committees resulted in the providing of the towns with sewerage and regulation of rivers. The establishment of the institution of municipal, county, district physicians, surgeons and midwives, the introduction of quarantine-stations, strict supervision in order to prevent epidemics are "measures , the beneficial effect of which makes us forget with pleasure that they take their origin in royal orders " —says Demkó (4). An important step in the organization of the fight against epidemics was the publication of Sydenham's epidemiological treatise together with the "Epidémiça Constitutio" referring to the provinces of the German — Roman Empire. The single chapters were written by the most outstanding physicians of the provinces: Ramazzini (Padua), Schroeck (Augsburg), Harder (Basle), Gahrliep (Berlin), Anhorn (St. Gallen), Camerañųs (Tübingen), Stegman (Mansie đ), Gerbesius (Laybach), Lanzoni (Ferrara), Ðre ineųr (Leÿden) and others. Hungary is represented by Károly Rayger (Pozsony) and János Ádám Gensel (Sopron). Károly Rayger the elder (1641— 1707) was a famous physician in Pozsony, who first applied the "floating" test of the lungs for medico-legal purposes and performed dissections 113 years before Morgagni. He is dealt with in several works (17, 21, 24). The life and work of his colleague Ádám János Gensel (eques, D.M., AA., LL., Phil. Chir. et Med. D., Acad. Caes. Nat. Cur. Coll., Poliater Soproniensis) is described by Weszprémi (24), Demkó (4) and MagyaryKossa (17) who publishes Gensel's portrait. We know that he was born on the 26th October 1677 in Sopron from the marriage of Kornél Gensel patrician and Judit Zuana daughter of the lord mayor. At the age of 17 he went to the University of Jena where he first studied theology but soon changed for medicine where he made considerable progress. In 1699 he held a lecture on ischuria. Having left Jena he went to Bologna, Florenz, Rom and Padua, where he attented the lectures of the most famous professors of his age. In 1700 he became librarian of the students of philosophy at Padua, twice anatomical consiliarius then the vice president of the German nationality, where the Hungarians belonged to. He was appointed "Knight of Saint Mark" by the doge of Venice. In 1703 the title Dr. Phil, et Med. was confirmed on him and his essay-competition paper was rewarded with the highest possible prize and presented to the young Hungarian medical student by His Excellency, Professor Bernardino Ramazzini, archiater in Padua. Having obtained his degree, he returned home and became first town physician in Sopron than chief medical officer of the county Vas and court physician in the service of the Esterházy family. He was reputed for his wide-spread medicating activity and "multos
