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)
M. Vida : Serving two Nations: Tivadar Duka (1825—1908)
i /¡_ 2 Medical History in Hungary 1972 (Comm. Hist. Artis Med. Suppl. 6.) himself in a letter sent to Hungary, answering an inquiry by Weckerling concerning his knowledge of Semmelweis. The answer was that Lister appreciates Semmelweis but he had not even heard of him until a few years before, not even when he visited Budapest, and he was first told about him by Tivadar Duka in London. 7 5 Later on Duka delivered a memorial lecture on Semmelweis in London in the Royal Society of Obstetricians. He won influential supporters to the idea of erecting a statue, including Sir Andreÿ Clark, Sir Spencer Wells, C. J. Cullingworth, and the first herald, Dr. Roųth. In 1894 Duka came to Budapest to lay wreath on the newly erected tomb of Semmelweis. In 1906 an international memorial session was held in Budapest commemorating Semmelweis. Duka himself was already too old and ill to be present but sent his physicians on instead. He also took an active part in the preparations: as member of the international committee for a monument to Semmelweis he was a go-between of the Hungarian organizing committee and the British physicians. 7 6 For his activities he received —together with Vilmos Tauffer, Tibor Győry and Gusztáv Dirner —the silver Semmelweis memorial medal, which he deserved well. 7 7 * Less than two years after the Semmelweis celebrations Duka finished his rich life at the age of 83, on 5th May 1908. Although it was the result of accident, due to the fall of the fight for freedom in his own country, he served two nations and can justly claim commendation from both. His words said about Sándor Körösi Csoma may apply to himself as well: "...the memory of his unselfish, modest, likeable character will be preserved by the scholarly world and his compatriots as well .. ." 7 8 7 5 Benedek, István: Semmelweis és kora (Semmelweis and His Times) Budapest, 1967. p. 436. Cf. Godlee. 7 0Dirner, Gusztáv (ed.): A nemzetközi Semmelweis-emlék Budapesten. (The International Monument to Semmelweis in Budapest) Budapest, 1909. pp. 20-26. — The "International Monument to Semmelweis" was founded on October 24, 1892, as it was reported by The Lancet, 1892. Oct. 29. 7 7 Ibid, (note (76)), p. 133. "**Duka, Tivadar, note (43), p. 152.
