Attempts of Increasing the Knowledge of Personal and Public Hygiene in the Population of Transylvania at the End of the 19th Century

Abstract

The present research aims to emphasize the popular literature of the knowledge in the medical science published at the end of the 19 th century. Under spotlight there are two significant works written by reference names for the Transylvanian medical science: George Vuia (Higiena poporală cu privire la săteanul român) and Simion Stoica (Dietetica poporală). The physicians plead for the personal and public health and their writtings are to be welcome given the circumstances that the population knew too little about basic hygiene concepts. Not least, the high rate of mortality did persit at the middle of the 19 th century. The medical practice of the physicians in the rural areas persuaded the medical elite to create this kind of medical literature which combined the scientific style with familiar concepts.