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

prisingly, its first achievement appeared by the renewal of the Hungarian medical language. Politically, the reform movement was probably more patriotic than nationalistic, and the continuous efforts for a wider application of the Hungarian tongue were reasoned by the fact, that the official language (i.e. the language in all forms of higher administration, legislation and academic life) had been Latin till 1844. As you have seen there had already appeared a number of scientific books written in Hungarian, but university education remained predominated by Latin and, since 1784 (the reign of Joseph II), by the German language. The movement for the renewal of the Hungarian tongue began as a counter-effect to the implications of German since the end of the 18th ccntury. The activities of a couple of outstanding scholars and scientists soon made a significant improvement. Speaking about medicine the first who must be mentioned was undoubtedly Pál Bugát (1793-1865). Due to his stubborn effects a detailed Hungarian medical terminology was smoothly created. He worked together on this task with Ferenc Toldy, the secretary-general of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (which was founded in 1825). Toldy was a famous man of letters. The Magyar-Deák és DeákMagyar Orvosi Szókönyv (Hungarian-Latin and Latin-Hungarian Medical Dictionary), which came out in 1833 was the result of their efficacious co-operation. Later, in 1843, Bugát published his Természettudományi Szóhalmaz (Scientific Thesaurus) which covered 40,000 referenççs including 1,000 new words created by himself, out of which a hundred proved to be viable. His role was also tremendous in launching the Orvosi Tár (Medical Magazine), the first medical periodical in Hungarian, in 1831. The journal, in which he aimed to collect common and unusual mcdical cases (

tár is for collection) attracted great interest. Later, between 1839-49 the edition was taken over by Ferenc Flór (1809-1871) an excellent surgeon. Flór had written his doctoral thesis in Hungarian as early as 1834. In surgery he was the first to use chloroform as a general anaesthetic in Hungary in 1847. We have arranged the material referring to this period in four show-cases. The first volumes of the Medical Magazine and the Hungarian-Latin and Latin-Hungarian Medical Dictionary have been displayed here together with a manuscript of a collection of mcdical words. The famous work of József Sadler (1791-1849), who was a physician, pharmacist and botanist, entitled A magyar plánták szárított gyűjteménye (A Dried Collection of Hungarian Plants) was published in 1824. In the first lower show-case there arc some documents referring to János Teofil Fabini (1791-1847), the first professor of ophtalmology. You can see his prescription from 1828, his door-plate and some of his notes. The material is completed with two sets of ophtalmological instruments, the so callcd Schustcr eye-dropper made of blown glass and anatomical instruments. The second show-case contains documents about Ágost Sclioepf Mérei's (18041858) scheme of his Children's Hospital (1836). Have a look of the interesting, dove-shaped opal glass baby comfortcr. You can sec portraits, diplomas and other documents in the cases placed on the walls. There is a painting about Teofil János Fabini, a manuscript of his inauguration speech when he was elected as the rector, and his major textbook the Doctrina 65