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)
E. Réti: Darwin's Influence on Hungarian Medical Thought (1868—1918) 157 J. Antall, A. Faiudy and K. Kapronczay: József Fodor and Public Health in Hungary
J. Antall—A. Faludÿ — K. Kapronczay : József Fo dor iji are regularly sent out to inspect the health conditions of the people. They report continually on what they find and have suggestions if improvements are needed. The Medical Officer of the Privy Council was Sir John Simon at that time! Turning his attention towards Hungary, Fodor points out that neither of the existing public health authorities can fulfil the task of a sanitary reform: the Department of Public Health in the Ministry of Home Affairs lacks knowledge and accurate informations on the actual situation, the National Public health Council lacks the power and possibility of carrying out the suggested measures. When central institutions fail and the counties based on the principle of self-government have neither initiatives nor ambitions to carry out sanitary reforms there is hardly any hope for improvement. Fodor who was most deeply aware of the sanitary neglect of his country where "the cause of public health was calling for effective help and prompt aid" regarded the English Privy Council and especially its medical department as the most useful authorities in the service of public health administration. It is not our intention here to list all aspects of public health, that Fodor studied in England and welcomed as models to be adopted in Hungary. A complete analysis of his indebtedness to and also criticism of the English public health system and state of hygiene would exceed the scope of a short essay. Let us refer here again to his thorough examination of the English sanitation, to which achievements he attributed a vital importance. In his early writing on the latrine systems 4 4, he refers to the Ninth Report of the medical officer of the Privy Council (London I860) compiled by Sir George Buchanan (1831 — 1895) on the relation of polluted soil and contaminated water to disease before and after introduction of the hygienic measures and gives a detailed, scientific description of the water-closet and sewage system of London in order to set an example before the Hungarian experts. In a lecture delivered on 22 March 1884 on the meeting of the Royal Association of Physicians 4 5 he again calls attention to the offensive nuisance of the lack of a sewage system and the dangers caused by rubbish and decomposing organic matter if not disposed properly and urges again the canalization of the capital —which had not been realized in the past ten years. He refers to the English town where the introduction of the sewer system and the continuous water supply greatly improved the general state of health. Relying mainly on English sources such as Parkes' Manuel of Practical Hygiene, (London 1883), Bailey Den ðn , Sanitary Engineering, (London 1877) he draws up the design of the would-be underground sewer system of Budapest and concludes by saying: "The present state of canalization in Budapest is insupportable from the viewpoint of public health and sanitation. A complete underground sewer system if designed and built properly and carefully , would safeguard the interest of sanitation and consequently it is to be realized in Budapest as soon as possible,"™ 4 4 Cf. Note 12. pp. 13—15. 4 5 Published under the title ,,Budapest csatornázása" (The Canalization of Budapest). Budapest 1884. 4 6 J. Fodor, Budapest csatornázása... p. 39.
