History of the Public Health Institute of Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest

Abstract

The science of public health of the XVIIIth century named politia medica together with medicina forensis became an independent obligatory subject in 1793 at the Medical Faculty of the Hungarian Royal University of Science. The independent Public Health Institute of the Medical Faculty was established in 1874. The first professor of public health was József Fodor who attained international reputation during his professorship. He organized training for school physicians and health teachers first in Europe and he organized courses for medical officers and for military doctors. He held courses for law-, engineer- and architect-students. He promoted all fields of the public health. His research on the bactericide effect of serum places him among the founders of immunology. Fodor's successors at the Chair of Public Health were Leó Liebermann whose research activities included physico-chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology and social hygiene; Gusztáv Rigler who focused on the epidemiology of communicable diseases, on the health effects of spa treatment and mineral waters. The next famous professor was Gyula Darányi. His scientific field was public health bacteriology and public health chemistry. They were followed by József Melly and László Dabis (Scheff). After the Second World War fundamental changes took place in the life of the university. The Faculty of Medicine was separated from the University of Science on February 1, 1951 and became an independent university under the control of the Ministry of Health. In 1953 the Institute of Public Health was cut into two separate institutes: Institute of Public Health and Institute for the Organization of Health Service. The Institute of Public Health was transformed to Institute of Public Health and Epidemiology in 1973. The Institute for the Organization of Health Service was transformed into Institute of Social Medicine and History of Medicine in 1985 and later into Institute of History of Medicine and Social Medicine in 1991. The Institute of Public Health and Epidemiology and The Institute of History of Medicine and Social Medicine were reunited as Institute of Public Health in 1997. The Institute teaches public health to medical, dental and pharmacy students in Hungarian, in English and in German.