{"id":46467,"date":"2025-11-21T06:00:32","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T05:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/?p=46467"},"modified":"2025-11-20T16:13:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T15:13:26","slug":"28th-sculpture-of-ignac-semmelweis-unveiled-in-rijeka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/2025\/11\/28th-sculpture-of-ignac-semmelweis-unveiled-in-rijeka\/","title":{"rendered":"28th sculpture of Ign\u00e1c Semmelweis unveiled in Rijeka"},"content":{"rendered":"
On November 10, a bust of Ign\u00e1c Semmelweis was unveiled in Croatia, in the park of the main building of the Faculty of Medicine (MEDRI) at the University of Rijeka. The work of sculptor G\u00e1bor Mih\u00e1ly, winner of the state-sponsored Kossuth and Munk\u00e1csy Awards, is the 28th monument in the world depicting one of the world\u2019s best-known doctors and was created with the financial support of Semmelweis University. In addition to the delegation from Semmelweis University, the unveiling ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Hungary to the Republic of Croatia, representatives of the Liszt Institute \u2013 Hungarian Cultural Center Zagreb, and the leaders of MEDRI, among others. The parties also held a bilateral meeting during the visit.<\/div>\n

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In his welcome address at the start of the official program, Dr. Goran Hauser, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Rijeka, praised Semmelweis University and the pioneering work of its namesake, which reminds us that every physician\u2019s duty goes beyond knowledge and skill. He said that the work of Ign\u00e1c Semmelweis was taught in detail at the University of Rijeka as part of the obligatory course on the history of medicine. \u201cThe bust we will unveil today is not only a tribute to the great physician Ign\u00e1c Semmelweis, but also the symbol of lasting connections between Croatia and Hungary. May the life and work of Ign\u00e1c Semmelweis continue to inspire us to see the person behind every patient, to see the search for truth in every discovery and to serve our profession with integrity and humanity,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

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Representing the Hungarian side at the ceremony were Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely, Rector of Semmelweis University; Dr. \u00c9va Szab\u00f3 Feket\u00e9n\u00e9, Vice-Rector for Strategy and Development; D\u00f3ra Szepesi, Head of the Directorate General of Marketing and Communication; Dr. L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Rosivall, Rector Emeritus and Chairman of the Semmelweis Memorial Committee; sculptor G\u00e1bor Mih\u00e1ly, winner of the Kossuth and Munk\u00e1csy Awards; Dr. Csaba Demcs\u00e1k, Ambassador of Hungary to the Republic of Croatia; Dr. Anna Erzs\u00e9bet Mladenovics, Director of the Liszt Institute \u2013 Hungarian Cultural Center Zagreb; and Be\u00e1ta Sikl\u00f3si, Cultural Attach\u00e9 of the Liszt Institute.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Dr. Csaba Demcs\u00e1k also gave a welcome speech on behalf of the Hungarian Embassy in Zagreb. \u201cThe legacy of Ign\u00e1c Semmelweis transcends national borders and his life\u2019s work is one of the most shining examples of protecting human life in the history of modern medicine,\u201d he emphasized. He noted that the Hungarian Embassy in Zagreb placed great importance on creating appropriate opportunities and platforms for researchers, scientists, and students, thereby fostering new collaborations. \u201cIt was from one such meeting that the friendship and partnership ultimately leading us to this day was born,\u201d he said. He thanked Dr. L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Rosivall, who had initiated the erection of the bust of Ign\u00e1c Semmelweis in Croatia, Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely, who had made it possible to erect the sculpture by G\u00e1bor Mih\u00e1ly with a generous donation from Semmelweis University, and Dean Dr. Goran Hauser, who had accepted the invitation and provided a fitting tribute to the memory of Ign\u00e1c Semmelweis.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In his speech, Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely drew a parallel between Ign\u00e1c Semmelweis\u2019s discovery and the innovation of Antoni Grossich from Rijeka, who had also studied in Vienna a generation after Semmelweis. Grossich introduced surgical disinfection with iodine tincture, thereby significantly reducing the number of wound infections and post-operative complications. Grossich\u2019s method was later adopted worldwide and is still used in modern surgery today, as is Semmelweis\u2019s handwashing with chlorinated water.<\/p>\n

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These two great figures were linked by their commitment to protecting human life and fighting infectious diseases. They both revolutionized patient care by recognizing that prevention and hygiene are just as important as treatment itself. Modern hospital care would be unimaginable without their discoveries. – Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Speaking about the work of G\u00e1bor Mih\u00e1ly, the rector pointed out that it is now the 28th Semmelweis monument in the world<\/a>, which captures the spirit of the famous Hungarian doctor in a fitting manner. \u201cIt is a special honor for us to unveil the bust of Ign\u00e1c Semmelweis on the 70th anniversary of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Rijeka. It is also a personal privilege for me to present it \u2013 as my family history, too, is connected to Croatia,\u201d he stressed, referring to his grandmother\u2019s Croatian roots.<\/p>\n\r\n [slb_exclude]\r\n

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Following Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely\u2019s speech, Dr. L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Rosivall gave a presentation on Ign\u00e1c Semmelweis, while Dr. Amir Muzur, Professor and Head of Department at the University of Rijeka\u2019s Faculty of Medicine, delivered a talk on Antonio Grossich. The parties also held a bilateral meeting during the visit and inspected the new hospital built in the Su\u0161ak part of Rijeka. After the unveiling ceremony, Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely gave a short speech to the attendees, followed by a screening of Lajos Koltai\u2019s Oscar-nominated film Semmelweis<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Dr. Bal\u00e1zs Csizmadia
\nImage credit: Faculty of Medicine (MEDRI), University of Rijeka<\/p>\n

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The bust is the work of G\u00e1bor Mih\u00e1ly, winner of the Kossuth and Munk\u00e1csy Awards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102369,"featured_media":46487,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,286],"tags":[78],"class_list":["post-46467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-semmelweis-world","category-x-nyitolap","tag-international-relations"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/102369"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46467"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46486,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46467\/revisions\/46486"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}