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 In this letter he reports to Fodor on the building of a "magnificent new hospital for the University College ", the sanitary arrangments of which he was superintending. He draws a sketch of its shape and explains his illustration enthusiastically, being "an entirely new idea ". These quotations from the correspondence between Fodor and W. H . Corfield chosen at random are not only documents of their lasting friendship, 5 7 but have a great significance from a medical historical point of view: they contain important information relating to the scientific activity of both hygienists, their role as professors of hygiene, and details referring to their participation in international congresses. It would be the task of further analysis to investigate to what extent the two experts of the same wide field of interest influenced each other's thought, how they directed each other's attention to more particular questions of public health. What is the connection between the work of Corfield's Laboratory in London for the practical teaching of public health and the similar laboratory of Fodor in Budapest ? How did Corfield, Professor of Hygiene in University College London supported Fodor with ideas and advice, who was holding the Chair of Hygiene in the University of Budapest, equally the first of its kind in Hungary, or vice versa ? It would be especially interesting to find out how far their friendship contributed to the development of their ideas regarding sanitary reforms and public health affairs in general. CONCLUSION One single person —not even the greatest one —can achieve everything alone. But if not everything —he can do very much. József Fodor's life and work contributed to the foundation of public health as an independent discipline on international scale too, and in Hungary he was the pioneer of public health revolution. His great significance lies in the initiative character of his theories, science, experiments and teaching. If he could not do more, it was not his fault. His contemporaries, the majority of the members of Government realized the importance of social questions and the urgent need of sanitary reforms only later or not even then. It was the small but remarkable group formed by the followers of József Eötvös which first realized the demanding need of reforms in central legislation and administration. It is easy to recognise the kindred spirit of the political circle of Eötvös and the medical circle of Balassa, which is only deepened by personal contacts. They were uniform in their attempts to create a constitutional bourgeois state and to carry through social and educational reforms. The interaction of the Centralists —as the group of Eötvös was called —and the Medical School of Pest was responsible for the creation of a modern scientific basis for the new public health organisation. 5 8 5 7 Corfield survived the death of his friend. He wrote an obituary in the "Nature" in 1901 and the one published in the "Lancet " on 6. April 1910 can be attributed to him by all probability. 5 8 Cf. Note 3.
