Semmelweis University’s delegation lead by Dr. Béla Merkely visited the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago to lay a wreath at the statue of Ignaz Semmelweis in the Hall of Fame. The commemoration on July 7 was organised by the Hungarian Embassy in Washington and the Hungarian Consulate in Chicago as a closure to the Semmelweis Memorial Year. The members of the delegation were Dr. Béla Merkely, Rector, Dr. József Sándor, Professor and Dr. Marcel Pop, Director of International Relations.
Dr. Béla Merkely, Rector of Semmelweis University gave a live report to Radio Bocskai in Cleveland and an interview to MTI, the Hungarian news agency. The event was opened by Dr. Zita Bencsik, Consul General thanking the staff of the Hungarian Embassy in Washington for their cooperation in organising the event and passed on the message of Dr. László Szabó, Ambassador and patron of the event. She welcomed Wolfgang Moesinger, new Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, who was initiated in his new office a week prior to the event. According to Dr. Zita Bencsik his presence was honourable not only from a diplomatic point of view, but could be regarded as the starting point of scientific cooperation, as German-Hungarian relations are the flagship of Semmelweis University’s extended international relations. She thanked Max Downham, Managing Director of the museum, who spoke about Hungarian relations in his welcome speech, thus mentioning Max Thorek, founder of the non-profit organisation of the International College of Surgeons with Hungarian origins.
In his ceremonial speech Dr. Béla Merkely spoke about how the name and personality of Semmelweis, the saviour of mothers are inexorably linked with Hungary. The university in Budapest that was founded 250 years ago and where Semmelweis himself worked has now become one of the leading institutions of medical education and research in Hungary and in Central Europe. He emphasized the importance of Hungarian-American scientific relations and their reinforcement, explicitly naming the cooperation with Harvard Medical School and Boston University.
“It was a great pleasure to see so many people gather in honour of Ignaz Semmelweis. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that many of the guests were not from the health care sector and appreciated the event all the same.”, he said.
The idea for the event came from Dr. József Sándor, professor of surgery and the member of numerous international organisations.
“It was touching to encounter history in the Hall of Fame dedicated to the greatest minds of international surgery and the ceremony was a respectable closure to the Semmelweis Memorial Year. It was our moral duty to place the flowers of remembrance at the statue of Semmelweis, which was erected in 1954 based on the decision of 150 medical historians and professors of surgery.”, he said.
On the initiative of Dr. László Sándor the Hungarian delegation placed the flowers of remembrance at the statue of Joseph Lister as well, who proved the theory of Semmelweis by establishing the method of antiseptic surgery 20 years later and who was among the first people to receive Doctor Honoris Causa award at the university.
The event was attended by the international director of the Illinois Office of the Attorney General, Hungarian professors working at universities in Chicago and renowned health care institutions (Rush University, University of Illinois in Chicago), Semmelweis alumni, Dr. Ágnes Perényi, representing the Hungarian Medical Association of America and the representatives of the American Jewish Committee, the Hungarian (Magyar) Club of Chicago, the Hungarian Communion of Friends and the Polish-Hungarian Alliance.
Source and photo: Hungarian Consulate in Chicago, Directorate of International Relations
Featured image: International Museum of Surgical Science (imss.org)
