ACTA HISTORIAE MEDICINAE STOMATOLOGIAE PHARMACIAE MEDICINAE VETERINARIAE

Primary tabs

Publisher: Scientific Society for the History of Health Culture, Belgrade

ISSN 0352-7840 (print)

ISSN 2466-2925 (online)

UDK 61+615+616.31+619(091)

DOI 10.25106/ahm

Frequency: biannual

The journal Acta Historiae is an open access (CC BY) external double-blind peer reviewed academic periodical; every manuscript is evaluated by two independent experts on the subject matter. The journal publishes original scientific articles, review articles, short scientific articles, reviews and bibliographies from fields of history of medicine, medical deontology, history of mentality, private life, urban and rural everyday life and living conditions, structure of urban and rural settlements, history, demography, boundaries, as well as the history of architecture and urban planning in the context of history, culture and health care institutions.

The first issue of the journal was published in 1961 and for three decades it was one of the most modern, open and dynamic Yugoslavian journals.

The journal is also available on the Copernicus and CEEOL databases.

Editor in chief is prof. dr Nikola Samardžić


Pages

Kratak istorijski pregled proučavanja cirkulacije krvi i lečenja arterijskog pritiska
Kratak istorijski pregled proučavanja cirkulacije krvi i lečenja arterijskog pritiska
Summary/Abstract: Arterial pressure is exerted by blood on arterial walls. Arterial hypertension is a condition which is characterized by increased pressure in arterial bloodstream. Every time when hearth makes a beat (i.e. makes a contraction) it pumps blood in the arteries. The measuring and monitoring of arterial pressure values in human organism has not been recognized as a routine part of clinical examination and evaluation until 20th century. On the other hand, the pulse has been monitored and determined for centuries before, as it is physically and practically more accessible for monitoring and measuring. Galen’s description of the function of hearth, arteries and veins was considered correct up until 1628, when William Harvey (1578-1657) described bloodstream with hearth as a driving pump. Our contemporary understanding of circulation and therefore arterial pressure begins with William Harvey’s discoveries, who understood and published systematic circulation in his book De motu cordis. The measurement of arterial blood pressure becomes a routine procedure since Nikolai Sergeyevich Korotkoff, who in 1905 described the sounds audible with stethoscope which was positioned on brachial artery below Riva-Rocci’s inflatable cuff during its gradual deflating. The research conducted during 1920’s had discovered the influence of increased arterial pressure on health of general population. The possibilities of treatment were limited and fatal outcome of untreated disease and its complications frequent. Only in the second half of 20th century the breakthrough was achieved. The appearance of hydrochlorothiazide in 1950 (diuretic of the thiazide class) is one of such discoveries.
Kuga u ranomodernom Beogradu
Kuga u ranomodernom Beogradu
Summary/Abstract: Plague in early modern Belgrade becomes a constant occurrence since the time of the Ottoman conquest. The biggest problem of the research of the plague epidemic in Belgrade is the lack of adequate historical sources, so the rhythm of its deadliness can not be determined with absolute certainty. In addition, this issue is burdened with lack of regular censuses taken by the Ottoman authorities during the 17th and 18th centuries, when the state had moved to a different system of levying taxes. The scale of the impact of the plague on the total population of Belgrade could therefore be only speculated. Important fact is that since the Great Turkish War, during all subsequent Ottoman-Austrian conflicts, plague seems unavoidable visitor of Belgrade. This is fully in line with the research, which showed that in the period from 1700 to 1850, the Ottoman northeastern border (which Belgrade belonged to) was affected by 23 plagues, which lasted for a total of 59 years. Unlike some parts of Europe, where it caused a collective hysteria, as a manifestation of the general misery and uncertainty, similar cases have not been recorded in Belgrade. The Ottoman state greatly lagged behind Europe in the implementation of sanitary regulations, so it was completely surpassed by Austria in the early modern era, as Austria had managed to finish the construction of a sanitary corridor towards the Ottoman Empire in the 18th century.
LAWRENCE HERTZEG – RECORD ON THE ATTACK AT THE DJAKOVSKA VINERY
LAWRENCE HERTZEG – RECORD ON THE ATTACK AT THE DJAKOVSKA VINERY
Summary/Abstract: In the transcription and translation of an archival document from the Historical archive of Sombor the legal case of the Lawrence Hertzeg (Laurentus Hertzeg), a Jew from the city of Sombor who was attacked and beaten on the July 17th 1808, is brought to light. His case is of a great importance as it’s very well documented and it shows us the procedure that was followed in the cases similar to the attack that happened to Lawrence Hertzeg. Document follows medical report, specification of the costs and testimonies of the witnesses.
MARCUS AURELIUS SEVERINUS AND HIS ATTEMPT TO REFORM THE SURGERY
MARCUS AURELIUS SEVERINUS AND HIS ATTEMPT TO REFORM THE SURGERY
Summary/Abstract: This paper will analize the attempt of a 17th century Italian surgeon and anatomist Marcus Aurelius Severinus (1580-1656) to reform operative surgical procedures. His contribution to surgery was twofold: both on a methodological and technical level. Severinus was one of the first physicians to theorize and practice an active surgery he called “del medicar crudo” (“to medicate crudely”). He performed the newest surgical techniques, and professed a concept of an early intervening surgery, when the pathological process didn’t show signs of spontaneous resolution. Subsequently, he showed boldness in his surgical practice, as reported in some extracts of his works “De recondita abscessum natura” and “De efficaci Medicina”. However, Severinus’ efforts weren’t met with support from medical community. At that time, surgeons were more careful to avoid pain and further risks to the patients, and they preferred to wait, rather then to attempt a premature surgical approach. However, Severinus was vindicated about 250 years later, when the discovery of anesthesia and infectious prophylaxis allowed for elevation of surgery to a scientific status, as well as application of his principles.
MEMORIES OF PLAGUE IN LATE 8TH AND EARLY 9TH CENTURY BYZANTINE HISTORIOGRAPHY
MEMORIES OF PLAGUE IN LATE 8TH AND EARLY 9TH CENTURY BYZANTINE HISTORIOGRAPHY
Summary/Abstract: In the late 8th and early 9th century two historical works, the Short history of Nikephoros of Constantinople, and the Chronicle of The ophanes the Confessor, give evidence about the plague which appeared in Sicily and Calabria in 745/6 and spreading to the east, erupted in Constantinople in 747/8 during the reign of Emperor Constantine V. In this paper, we analyze the narratives off ered by the two historians and place their historical representation of the plague in the context of the religious controversy over icons which shook Byzantium in the 8th and 9th centuries. It appears that both historians, themselves engaged in the controversy over icon worship, Nikephoros in the capacity of the patriarch of Constantinople, and The ophanes as a hegumenos of an orthodox monastery, utilized the description of the plague to portray the emperor Constantine V’s rule as irreligious and devastating for the Byzantine state and church.
Major Museum Collections of Medical Instruments in Belgrade
Major Museum Collections of Medical Instruments in Belgrade
Summary/Abstract: The leading vision of the paper is to present existing medical instruments among the Belgrade museums collections. Therefore, five museums and theirs collections of medical instruments will be displayed followed by brief explanations. The origins of medical practice can be traced in several ways: written sources, the legacy of art, and escavated medical objects. In order to present several objects dated in 1st - 4th century, author examines the medicine practice in the territory of former Upper Moesia (Moesia Superior) and Pannonia Inferior, then Ager Singidunensis and Kosmaj area. Along side, the medical apparatus from recent medical history are also shortly presented. Some examples are accompanied by photos or draws.
Medical Research in Serbia
Medical Research in Serbia
Summary/Abstract: In the light of the COVID-19 pandemics, we tried to summarize concepts and ideas which would increase the capacity for medical scientific research in Serbia, and probably other Western Balkan countries to cope with the present situation where (i) more knowledge about medicine at the cellular and molecular level is urgently needed and (ii) medical students, PhD students, and young medical doctors are at risk for their professional future, if isolation from European medical science community would continue. We suggest several ways to improve medical science of Serbia, and review funding available for such projects. Our paper presents an open call for dialogue between stakeholders and beneficiaries of such projects and should by no means be viewed as a final proposal, but rather as an invitation to participate in designing a better future.
Medicinal Boar’s Teeth
Medicinal Boar’s Teeth
Summary/Abstract: The tusks of the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) are Galenical simples of rather minor importance, often forming part of the zoological component of materiamedica cabinets and collections from the early eighteenth century. Imported into Britain from Germany, they were rendered into a powder and combined with additional ingredients in relatively uncomplicated polypharmaceutical preparations, usually delivered internally in a liquid medium. Somewhat restricted in their application, powdered tusks were incorporated into prescriptions for diseases of the throat and respiratory system, notably peritonsillar abscesses (quinsy), pleurisy and pneumonia. They may also have been employed as an antispasmodic and antihysteric.
Microunits Taban, Sentanreja and Pomaz as a Paradigm of Fighting Plague Epidemic 1738–1739
Microunits Taban, Sentanreja and Pomaz as a Paradigm of Fighting Plague Epidemic 1738–1739
Summary/Abstract: Th e plague in history left many consequences on society, not just on population itself, but also in cultural, sociological and psychological sense. Although way to cure it was unknown for a long time, in time it was noticed that isolating infected persons, settlements or areas diminish destructive eff ects of the disease, but despite that knowledge in severe epidemics it was diffi cult to isolate settlements, and that amplifi ed consequences. Th e plague that spread from Ottoman Empire into Habsburg monarchy during their war (1737–1739) caused serious problems in Hungarian territory. Serbs, who lived there and fought the war as Austrian soldiers, were engulfed by that epidemic that spread outside area of direct battles and military camps. Th is paper shows what fi ghting against this epidemic looked like in the microunits – Taban, i.e. Serbian part of Budim (Buda), Sentandreja (Szentendre) and village of Pomaz, what were diff erences between them, how they were isolated and where epidemics left strongest marks. Paper is primarily based on unpublished archive materials from Fond “B” of Archive of Serbian Academy of Science and Art in Sremski Karlovci, mostly written by priests to Budim bishop Vasilije Dimitrijević.
Midwives and Obstetrics in Baranja, Slavonia and Syrmia Since the Beginning of 17th to the Beginning of 20th Century
Midwives and Obstetrics in Baranja, Slavonia and Syrmia Since the Beginning of 17th to the Beginning of 20th Century
Summary/Abstract: The oldest news about newborns in Slavonia date from early 17th century, precisely at the time when the decisions of Trident Council (1543-1563) regarding emergency baptism are implemented in Croatian lands – in necessitate baptisatus or ab periculum vitae erat baptisatus, which was done by midwives. However, there are no confirmations that this system was implemented in Baranja, Slavonia and Syrmia under Ottoman rule. After Habsburg conquest of Baranja, Slavonia and Syrmia, supervision over midwives is taken over by Catholic Church. Midwives now received education and gave oath, which in turn allowed them to baptize newborns in case that delivery goes wrong. At the same time, academic medicine takes control over professional work of midwives – in the beginning in towns and their surroundings, and gradually over the area between Danube, Drava and Sava rivers. In the early 18th century, midwives covered several villages, and the government has tried to increase the number of midwives since the middle of the century, so that every village has at least one. Several midwives worked in towns, and in the late 19th century hospitals hired midwives as well.
Minorities and Eugenic Subcultures in East-Central Europe
Minorities and Eugenic Subcultures in East-Central Europe
Summary/Abstract: This paper offers an overview of eugenic sub-cultures in EastCentral Europe developed between 1900 and 1944. Special attention has been paid to the intricate issue of ethnic survival and minority rights, along with the process of ideological transmission and application of eugenics within regional, national and trans-national contexts. The eugenic strategy pursued by ethnic minorities in EastCentral Europe was meant to ensure their survival amidst a growing trend towards national homogenisation and eradication regional differences. Importantly, these eugenic sub-cultures aimed not only to revive the ethnic minority from within but to reshape its relationship with the host nation-state, based upon principles of racial exclusivity, homogeneity and protectionism.
Nastanak prvih zdravstvenih kompleksa i zgrada u Beogradu u XIX i početkom XX veka
Nastanak prvih zdravstvenih kompleksa i zgrada u Beogradu u XIX i početkom XX veka
Summary/Abstract: The aim of the paper is to give an overview of how the first health care buildings were erected in Belgrade, highlighting their significance in the modernization of the country, while reaching the European standards in that specific area of public life. Apart from the most important state buildings in Savamala – the Council, the Court and the Great Barracks, in 1837, Prince Miloš Obrenović starts with the construction of the Palilula Barracks near the Palilula Square. At the same time, he brings up an issue of the soldiers’ hospital within the complex, with a capacity of one hundred patients. Thus begins a history of constructing the first hospital buildings. They are located in the peripheral areas of the Town, suitable for the health care buildings because of their position on the slopes towards the Danube and the vicinity of good quality water. The Palilula Military Hospital design was probably the work of Valentine Moor, a master builder from Pančevo. Not long after that, in the late 1840s, at the time of Prince Aleksandar I Karađorđević, preparations for building a new Military Hospital in Belgrade are underway. The design was probably the work of the main engineer, an architect, Jan Nevole. The hospital was built in the 1846-49 period, consisting of a ground and the first floor. The period of Prince Mihailo, like those of his predecessors, is marked by the construction of a hospital, the first civilian healthcare institution in the capital. On his land plot in Vidin Street, near Palilula Square and the erstwhile Barracks, in 1868, the Town Hospital was built according to the design of the state engineer Joseph Francl. The new Military hospital, designed by architect Danilo Vladisavljević, educated in Aachen, was constructed in 1905-09. At the West Vračar area, according the modern spatial organization with pavilions surrounded by greenery. The construction of first hospital buildings tells us about the endeavors of the Serbian Principality to reach standards of the developed European countries in the field of healthcare culture. The paper analyses building conditions, urban and architectural characteristics of the said buildings, as well as their impact on defining the character of the surrounding space, providing the foundations of a modern European image of the capital.

Pages