Preocupări în domeniul balneologiei râmânești – aspecte de evoluție în perioada secolelor XVIII – XIX

Abstract

The illuminist current brings a new wave of news in balneology, too, by the activity of Michael Neustadter, Lucas Wagner, Samuel Koleseri, Istvan Matyus, Ferecz Nyulas and culminating with Vasile Popp contribution. Neustadter described the plague epidemic in 1786 and promoted vaccination against pox by many papers translated from German to Romanian, Hungarian and Croatian language. He also took part in Transylvanian mineral waters. Lucas Wagner from Brasov published in Wien the first synthesis of mineral waters of Transilvania, „De aquis medicatis Magni Principatus Transilvaniae” which included the results of anterior analysis made by other physicians from Transilvania. Samuel Koleseri wrote in that time over forth scientific papers approaching themes of balneology, epidemiology, and therapy. Istvan Matyus is among the first researchers of Transylvanian mineral waters and included the results in his writings „Diaetetica” 1762-1766, „Old and new Diet” 1787-1793 and in his manuscript „De aquis Rhadnensibus”. Ferencz Nyulas described in 1800 in his main paper „About the analysis of mineral waters from Ardeal County” and offered the first precise analysis of mineral waters from the Rodnei Region. Nyulas showed the presence of manganese in the waters and described a few years before Kolbe the effect of carbon dioxide waters against putrefaction. In the next years, the development of Romanian balneology had a peak represented by the scientific contribution of Vasile Popp, a pioneer of the history of Romanian medicine. His main writing, „About mineral waters from Arpătac, Bodoc and Covasna,” published in Sibiu in 1821, is the first medical document in the Romanian language all over the entire Romanian territory.