Josef von Fodor | |
|---|---|
.JPG) | |
| Born | 16 July 1843 |
| Died | 19 March 1901 (aged 57) |
| Alma mater | Cistercian Grammar School Eötvös Loránd University University of Vienna University of Munich University of Wuerzburg University of Buda-Pesth |
| Known for | Hygiene Public health |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Hygiene |
| Doctoral advisors | János Rupp |
| Other academic advisors | Max Josef von Pettenkofer Justus von Liebig Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen Albert Hilger |
Josef von Fodor de Galánta (Hungarian: galántai Fodor József; 16 July 1843 – 19 March 1901) was a Hungarian professor of hygiene at the University of Buda-Pesth and pioneer of public health.
Birth
Josef von Fodor was born on 16 July 1843 in Lakócsa, Somogy County of Hungary.[1]
Josef's father was Galántai Fodor Antal [Hu] and his mother was Mary Picha. He had a daughter, Margit Fodor who married Zsigmond Gerlóczy.[citation needed]
He studied medicine at Buda-Pesth, Vienna, and Munich and was awarded Doctor of Medicine (MD) from Buda-Pesth on 19 October 1865.[1] He completed a degree as a master of ophthalmology and obstetrics, and on 17 July 1866 he completed a degree in surgery.
Around 1870, von Fodor took a Wanderjahr with the support of a state grant to visit the largest cities of Europe (Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, England) to study their hygiene practices.[1][2]
Professor von Fodor died on 19 Mar 1901 from sequelae of influenza supervening on arterial sclerosis[3] He is buried at Rijeka Road Graveyard.
Professor von Fodor made significant contributions in teaching hygiene, investigating the connection between public health and conditions of water and air, and also studied many other projects including disinfectants and the effects of carbon monoxide, which he introduced the first quantitative analytical method for determining carboxyhemoglobin saturation.[3][4][5] Professor von Fodor was among the first to demonstrate the spread of typhoid through water.[2] In 1886 he reported the in vivo bactericidal activity of the blood, concluding that the organism was protected against the spread of bacteria by an unknown vital power of blood, and in 1887 he demonstrated in vitro that whole blood is able to reduce anthrax bacilli.[6]
It has also been suggested Prof. von Fodor was the first to suggest establishing a National Institute for Public Health and a Regional Institute of Public Health and Epidemiology.[2]
As the Chair of Hygiene, Professor von Fodor influenced sanitation reform throughout Hungary.[1]
In 1885, Professor von Fodor played a key role in founding the Institution of School of Medical Officers, and established the Hungarian National Health Association with Lajos Markusovszky.[1]
He served as editor of the Bulletin of the Society of Public Health "Health" from 1887, and edited a section of the Hungarian Medical Journal called Public Health and Forensic Medicine. Professor von Fodor was regarded as a pioneer of modern public health.[2]
