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)
L. Várađi: The Social Position of Physicians in Hungary at the Turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries
L. Várađi: The Social Position of Phys ician s in Hungary 223 the two social structures might be responsible for the causal relations which might explain the phenomen in question. The vacillation of the number of students recorded in the matriculations of the medical faculties seems to confirm the fact that medicine was not a popular profession owing to the bad financial position of those engaged in medicating activities. From 1895 onwards until 1900 the number of medical students reveals a decreasing tendency. The number of students gradually decreased from the term 1889/1890 onwards: by the turn of the century from 1012 to 569. Their number was the smallest in 1900/1901 and then, by 1913 the numer of students suddenly increased to 3046. In this view, medical profession did not seem a secure financial source of living at the turn of the century. The development of public health in Hungary was in close connection with the social position of the physicians, since their majority was in state service. In 1895 the number of the medical officers and physicians kept by towns, villages and districts was 2109, i.e. half of the total number of physicians. As regards areal distribution, the number of the village and district physicians was the greatest. Number of medical officers between 1895 and 1900 1 12 Census Public County District Medical officers, Year Health medical physician chief medical officers centre officer assistant and district physicians in municipal towns 1895 19 72 461 174 1896 19 73 473 177 1897 22 71 476 176 1898 20 72 469 177 1899 21 73 477 176 1900 14 65 404 171 Census Year Physicians Village and Total number of Corporate Panel physicians of physicians 1895 189 1,406 2,321 1896 189 1,429 2,360 1897 181 1,446 2,372 1988 180 1,503 2,421 1899 183 1,538 2,468 1900 164 1,486 2,304 As a result of the urgently needed social adminsitration of public health due to the increase of social demands, the institution of the "medical officer" was formed. They were mainly physicians kept by villages, districts and towns. Among the physicians kept by the state, they were the nearest to those actually engaded in curing. By the end of the 19th century, due to the increase of the administrative work they approach step by step the type of the "physician 1 2 Magyar Statisztikai Évkönyv VII, 1899. Budapest, 1900. p. 60.
