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 Fodor iji Museum and Library there is a precious collection of letters he received from all over the world, from Tokio to Washington, from Constantinople to Helsingfors. Among them we can find formal letters, addressed to Fodor as President of the Hungarian Society of Public Health, but also —as will be referred to further below —letters which reveal the existence of a deep scientific contact and personal friendship of Fodor with experts abroad, above all in England. In their letters Robert Koch (Berlin), Günther Ņ¤tĥñage (Vienna), Joseph Lister and G. V. Poore (London), J. S . Billing (Washington), Pio Foa (Torino) acknowledge their appointments to honorary members of the Hungarian Society of Public Health. Max Pettenkofer's letter dating from 25. Febr. 1890 and reporting on his wife's death reflects already a more personal contact. His letter from 8 May 1896, is a sad proof of his being by-passed —which he realized himself: "Ich bin erfreut und hoch überrascht durch diese Auszeichnung, (hon. member of the Hung. Soç. of Public Health), denn ich bin als Lehrer und Forscher zurückgetreten, lebe hier einsam auf dem Lande und zähle mich bereits zu den überwundenen Standgunsten, der Vergessenheit verfallend" . Joseph Lister wrote him on the 23rd July, 1894 when he was elected Honorary President of one of the Section of the approaching Congress —informing him that unfortunately it was impossible for him to be in Hungary at that time. The editors of the Japanese Journal of Bacteriology under the supervision of Prof. Kitasato, director of the Institute for Infectious Diseases ask Fodor to send them a photograph of himself to be published in their journal as a "prominent professor" of public health. Fodor sent them copies of his publications which they appreciated very much (23 Sept. 1897). Donald MacAliz, editor of the Practitioner, a Journal of Therapeutics and Public Health asked Fodor to send their library (St. John's College, Cambridge), copies of his works in any language. He says "I have once had the pleasure of printing an article of yours. .. It would be a source of pride to me if at some future time I might have the honour of another contribution from your pen." 9 Sept. 1891) W. H. Knight, associate of the Sanitary Institute and Secretary of the Hygienic Referendum (Hornsey) who met Fodor on the Congress of Hygiene in London in 1891, sends Fodor his own publications asking his opinion "as whether it would be of any service (to our country) if the notes were translated and whether any publisher... would undertake-its reproduction ". By a lucky coincidence we know Fodor's answer to this letter: on the blank page of the letter there is a rough draft in English from which we may conclude that the subject-matter of Knight's article was public-health teaching, and in Fodor's views the "tables" and "models" of Knight "would be very useful and instructive in our secondary schools, where hygiene is instructed." He promised him to promote the translation and publication of the article. It requires further research to find out whether it in fact became published or not. Fodor was regarded in England as expert on public health teaching both at secondary school and also at university level. This is demonstrated by the letters of
