Pictures from the Past of the Healing Arts / Orvostörténeti Közlemények – Supplementum 18-19. (Budapest, 2000)

Pictures from the Past of the Healing Arts - Guide to the Exhibition

by the University at Old-Buda established by King Sigismund (1387-1437) and that of Pozsony founded in 1467 by Matthias Corvinus (1458-1490), the magnificent renaissance king. At the universities of Old-Buda and Pozsony medicine was involved in the curricula. From the second half of the 15th century, however, there was no university level medical training in the country and those who wanted to study medicine had to travel abroad. Protestant students were excluded from receiving the title of Doctor of Medicinc at the University of Vienna so long as the second half of the 18th century. Subsequently they had to attend the universities of Protestant countries. They appeared in big numbers in Holland and Switzerland and a few even on the British Isles. The major part of these students received grants from Protestant citics and from wealthy aristocrats, but these supports almost always involved the obligation to return and work for the patron after successfully finishing studies. 1. Medical faculty at Nagyszombat, Buda and Pest The University of the Jesuits at Nagyszombat (today Trnava, Slovakia) was founded by Cardinal Péter Pázmány (Archbishop of Esztergom 1617-1637) in 1635. At that time it lacked the medical faculty. The first and unsuccessful proposal to set up a medical faculty at this university came about in the 1723 session of the Parliament. János Perliczi (1705-1778) submitted the same request a few years later to Queen Maria Theresia (1740-1780) but it was equally turned down. However, van Swieten, the medical reformer of the Empire, was able to persuade the Queen to attach a medical faculty to the Nagyszombat University. The supreme ordinance, which introduced and regulated medical education was issued in November 7 1769. This day became a mile-stone in the history of medical education in Hungary. But Nagyszombat did not remain a seat for this university. Being but a remote city, the Queen found it reasonable to move the university over to Buda Castle in 1777. Then in 1784 Joseph II (1780-1790) decided to change its residence again, this time for Pest, where it has been still locatcd. Due to unfavourable circumstances (few patients, little possibilities for autopsies etc) that had obstructed up-to-date medical tuition in Nagyszombat the new location was much more agreeable for the faculty. The history of the foundation of the Hungarian medical faculty is illustrated in a separate show-case. The coloured engraving of Georg Hocfnagcl (1542-1600) represents the episcopal town of Nagyszombat (Tyrnavia in Latin, Trnava in Slovakian) at the end of the 16th century. In the middle of the show-case you can see the medical diploma of István Lumniczcr (1747-1806), the first representative of a noted dynasty of Hungarian physicians, which he received in 1777 at the University of Nagyszombat. There is also a miniature with his portrait and a copy of his disser52