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 The
purpose of our announcement is to present the Hungarian medical
influence to the Greek region through medical books translated in
the Greek language, during the last decades of 18th century.
One of the Greek Communities in Europe during the period of the
Ottoman occupation of the Greek region and especially at the end
of 18th century was the Community in Budapest[1], which was the
most important center of the Hellenic Diaspora after those of Vienna.
Except the fact that Budapest was a Greek merchant center in Europe,
it was a place where a lot of Greek books were published and from
there they were promoted to other European countries and Greek regions
where intellectual centers were flourishing. We note for example
that during the period 1801-1818, about twenty books were published
in Budapest's printing houses[2].
During the mentioned period young Greek people who wanted to study
medicine took recourse to the European Universities and one of  them
wasthose of Pest in Hungary.
Except the studies in medicine in Budapest another point that shows
Hungarian-Greek medical communication during the last decades of
18th century, was the translation of a medical book from the Hungarian
language to Greek and the writing of another book which had as prototype
some Hungarian books.
Specifically the writer from Siatista of Macedonia, Greece, Geogrios
Zaviras, (1744-1804), who resided for about forty years in Hungary,
wrote and translated many books in the Greek language, which some
remained unpublished and others published later. For example he
translated from Latin to Greek the book of Gyorgi Marothi, "Method
of Astrognosias", which was printed later in 1815 in Pest of
Hungary in the printing house of Thomas Trattner and the book "Nea
Hellas", which was published by Georgios Kremos in 1872 in
Athens.
Zaviras knew, as he writes, that "very few medical books were
published in the Greek language"- indeed eight medical books
had been published until then[3]. That's why he translated and published
in Greek the book of Professor of Anatomy at the University of Pest
Samuel Ratz, "Medical Exhortations" (Ιατρικαί παραινέσεις),
Pest 1787. Characteristically he writes that "seeing the shortage
of medical Greek books and prompted by many people, I want to make
the effort to translate this wise book, which is an essay of the
excellent physician Samuel Ratz, who teaches Anatomy in the University
of Pest and is the writer of many books".
Zaviras' translation was in the popular Greek language so as to
be understood by the general public, a point that shows Zaviras'
enlightening role. He dedicated the book to the writer, Professor
Samuel Ratz by writing a text in Latin and Greek. Also an epigram
to Samuel Ratz is registered. We notice that the prototype of Ratz's
book was published in Pest in 1778.
Zaviras notes that the writer methodically and briefly described
the symptoms and therapy of diseases, so that every one who is not
a doctor to be able to refer to it for advice. Nevertheless he mentions
that he didn't translate the names of the herbs of the 183 prescriptions
in the popular Greek language, but wrote them in ancient Greek and
Latin. At the end of his book he added an explicative catalog of
words and terms to be comprehended by ordinary people.
Samuel Rarz, (1744-1807), was Professor of Anatomy at the University
of Pest and writer of many books. In Zaviras' library[4] were found
two more books of Ratz: "A physiologianak rovid summaja",
Pest 1789, and "Orvosi Praxis", Buda 1801, but not the
prototype of the book of "Medical Exhortations" (Ιατρικαί
παραινέσεις), which was published in the Hungarian language in Pest
in 1778.
 Also
in 1787 Zaviras published the book "Ονοματολογία Βοτανική",
"Botanical nomenclature" in four languages, ancient and
modern Greek, Latin and Hungarian, and in which are included the
names of 771 pharmaceutical herbs. In the preface he writes about
the cause of that book's publishing. He notes that "my illnesses
for long and many times, which have consumed about half of my life,
became my teachers" and they have greatly contributed to writing
this book. In practice Doctors wrote the names of herbs in their
prescriptions in ancient Greek or Latin, as for example "μαλάχη,
αλθαία, ανθεμίδα, malvan, salvium, chamaemilum" and therefore
the patients believed that all these herbs were very rare and originated
from as far as Arabia or America, but in reality these herbs, as
Zaviras emphasizes, are in our fields and we walk on them. He further
supplements that "my extensive experience became my teacher
and without paying I have found the herbs under my feet, which I
previously bought by paying a lot of money to the pharmacies".
All these were the cause for him to write his book with the names
of the herbs in four languages: Ancient and Popular Greek, Latin
and Hungarian. He published this book in order for everyone to know
the ordinary name of the herb when he read it in Docror's prescriptions,
when the names of the herbs are in Latin or Ancient Greek and therefore
have the ability to make his own medicines with his known herbs.
Specifically, Zaviras in his preface emphasizes that his printed
book is the first attempt which has been made on Botanics in the
Greek language in recent years.
Researchers have shown that the names of the 771 herbs, which are
included in "Botanical nomenclature", Zaviras collected
them from many foreign scientific books and especially from the
book of J. Csapo, Uj fuves es virages Magyar kert, Pozsonyban 1775,
which was Zaviras' basic source and model[5].
Additionally we mark that except the two previously mentioned Zaviras'
books, about three decades later in Budapest other Greek medical
books were published. Precisely Demetrios Panayotou from the town
Siatista of Macedonia, Greece, during his studies in his fourth
year at the University of Hungary published in Pest in 1822 in the
Greek language his studies "Brief physiology, and also referring
to magnetism"[6] , "Treatise on soul's actions"[7].
 The
following year, in 1823, another medical book was published in Budapest
in the Greek language, titled "Treatise on Physiology. Volume
1. Containing Shortened History of Physiology translated from Latin,
in Pest, Publishing House of Th. Trattner 1823"[8]. Translator
of that book was Giorgios Poullios from Tirnavos of Thessaly, Greece,
a student in the fourth year of Medicine at the University of Hungary.
The translation was made from the book of the "famous"
Michael Lenhossek, (1773-1840), who was Professor of Physiology
and Anatomy at the University of Pest during the period 1809-1818
and after that he took the position of Professor G. Prochaska (1749-1820)
at the University of Vienna. Poulios mentions that his translation
at some parts is brief, because, as he explains, he was engaged
in the publishing of Lenhossek's "Physiology".
We mark that the Greek famous journal "Hermes Logios",
in 1819, p. 924, mentions the five volume Lenhossek's "Physiologia
medicinalis", Pesta 1816-1818, with the information that is
taught at the University of Pest. Also in following year 1820, p.
660, notes that Lenhossek remains a Professor at the University
of Vienna. It is pointed out that Poulios' ambitious plan to translate
and publish in the Greek language the five volume book "Physiology"
of Lenhossek was never published and has not yet found a relevant
manuscript.
Conclusion: During the last decades of the 18th century is ascertained,
a case of Hungarian - Greek medical relation by the translation
from Hungarian to Greek and the publishing in Budapest medical books,
and this case is repeated later in 1823.
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[1] About the Greek Community in Hungury see Gr. Gogos, "The
Orthodox Greek Community and Church in Pest of Hungary", Ekklesiastiki
Alitheia, vol. 4, 1884, pp. 339-334. Sp. Lampros, "Pages of
History of the Macedonian Hellenism in Hungary and Austria",
Neos Ellinomnimon, vol. 8, 1911, pp. 257-300. Sp. Lampros, "Greek's
tombstone especially for Macedonians in Pest", Neos Ellinomnimon,
vol. 8, 1911, pp. 462-481.Entre Horvath, "Neo-Hellenic studies
in Hungary", Nea Estia, vol. 21, 1937, pp. 651-661. Entre Horvath,
"Cultural activity of Hellenic Diaspora. I. Greeks in Hungary",
Nea Estia, vol. 28, 1940, pp. 926-931 and 1005-1009. Ivan Hajnoczy,
The History of Hellenism of Kecskemet, Hungary-Hellenic Studies.
No 8, Budapest 1939. Piroska Prosser, Tombstone inscriptions of
Greeks at Hungarian cemeteries, Hungary-Hellenic Studies. No 19,
Budapest 1942. Them. Volidis, "Unpublished correspondence regarding
Tokaias's Greek Community", Epetiris Eterias on Byzantium Studies,
Athens, vol. 22, 1952, pp. 75-81. Ap. E. Vakalopoulos, The West
Macedonians during the Turkish occupation, Thessaloniki 1958, p.
8. Odon Fuves, "Census of the Greek foreigners of Pest's Perfecture.
(Researches in the Archives of Pest's Perfecture)", Makedonika,
Thessaloniki, vol. 5, 1963, pp. 194-241., Odon Fuves, The Greeks
of Hungary, Institute for Balkan Studies, no 75, Thessaloniki 1965.
[2] Ph. Eliou, Hellenic Bibliography of 19th century. Books and
Pamphlets. Vol. First 1801-1818, Athens 1997.
[3] Dem. Karaberopoulos, The medical European knowledge in the
Greek region, 1745-1821, Athens, 2003, p. 68.
[4] Entre Horvart, Life and works of Georgios Zaviras, Boudapest
1937, p. 40. Andras Graf, Catalogue of Georgios Zaviras library
in Budapest, Budapest 1935.
[5] Entre Horvart, i. e. pp. 55-59. Fuves, Odom, "Hungarian-Greek
medical relation in the 18-19th centuries", Balkan Stuudies,
vol. 6, 1965, pp.79-82.
[6] Entre Horvath, Hungary-Hellenic Bibliography, Budapest 1940,
no. 48, p. 46.
[7] National Greek Library, no FLS 1689*.
[8] Entre Horvath, Hungary-Hellenic Bibliography, Budapest 1940,
no. 49, p. 46.
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