PubMed1994
After a short introduction on the development of the medieval universities at Pécs, Obuda, and Pozsony, and mentioning those who lectured in medicine in Hungary, the authors emphasise that modern chemistry was born during the 16th and 17th century. They stress the role of Paracelsus who invented iatro-chemistry, and that the first independent chairs, were founded in Germany in the beginning of 17th century at Altdorf, Marburg, Jéna, but were followed suit by Paris, when the Jardin des Plantes were erected. The first chemical textbook, the Cours de Chimie (Paris 1665), was also the work of a Frenchman, namely Nicolas Lémery (1645-1715). From the 18th century chemistry was also included in the curriculum of medical education in Hungary. Among the chairs of the newly founded medical faculty at Nagyszombat we find the chemical-botanical department in 1769. Its first professor was an Austrian physician Jakab Winterl (1773-1809), who had been a head physician at Selmecbánya, in Northern Hungary. Owing to a rash and premature publication Winterl's international reputation was unfortunately undermined in the last century by a leading German science historian, Hermann Kopp. The authors stress, however, that Winterl indeed played an important role in organizing the chemical department, and purchasing all the necessary equipment needed for up to date researches and analyses. And above all, in his Prolusiones ad chemiam saeculi decimi noni, he foresaw many forthcoming paths and discoveries of 19th century chemistry. After Winterl's retirement the department was divided into two parts. Pál Kitaibel (1757-1817) led the botanica department and János schuster (1777-1838) the other one for chemistry. Kitaibel made a name for himself by depicting Hungarian flora, but he also made discoveries in chemistry. He discovered chlore lime, before Tennant in 1795, a material which might have been used for whitening textiles. Schuster, on the other hand, introduced a system of Hungarian terms for chemical science. He was also the first chemist among the members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. after his death in 1838 the professorship had been vacant for two years, because the authorities did not want to nominate Schuster's assistant, the devoted patriot Károly Nendtvich (1811-1892). It was eventually E. Sangaletti, who was appointed, in spite that he had not produced any publication at all, upon which his application to the professorship in chemistry to the Prague University had been turned down. Though Nendtvich led the department during the revolution of 1848/49, Sangaletti returned in 1849 and remained there until 1853. His successor, Theodor Wertheim from Vienna, was a much better chemist and lecturer. He led the department until 1860, when he moved to the University of Graz. Though in 1850 the department was removed from the medical faculty to the faculty of arts, because the universitiy began to educate secondary-school teachers as well, the education of medical students was carried on there for another century. The authors mention Károly Than (1834-1908), who became Wertheim's successor at the department.