This paper will elaborate the impact of social, political and economic processes on the formation... more This paper will elaborate the impact of social, political and economic processes on the formation and development of the pharmaceutical profession in Croatia until the end of the Second World War. Political axes and dominant economic theories shaped a complex history of interactions between the pharmaceutical profession and state structures, dramatically polarizing the profession into interest groups. The paper will focus on the conflicts which arose from disagreements between owners and employees regarding professional interests, social issues and political ideologies, that became evident with the 1914 employees’ strike in Zagreb and ended with the nationalization of all Yugoslav pharmacies after the Second World War. The main argument is that the conflict between the owners and the employees created powerful dynamics of change in the pharmaceutical profession. It induced the establishment of various class bodies and official gazettes; influenced the debates around new pharmaceutic...
Recently, the World Health Organization launched its Universal Health Coverage initiative with th... more Recently, the World Health Organization launched its Universal Health Coverage initiative with the aim to improve access to quality health care on a global level, without causing financial hardship to the patients. In this paper, we will identify and analyze the ideological similarities between this influential initiative and the work of one of the founders of the WHO—Andrija Štampar (1888–1958)—whose social medicine was built of various normative, sociological and philosophical elements. Our aim is to demonstrate the crucial role of carefully erected and thought-out ideology for the success of public health programs.
Acta medico-historica adriatica : AMHA, Nov 1, 2015
By analysing his unpublished and published works, we have identified anthropological elements in ... more By analysing his unpublished and published works, we have identified anthropological elements in the studies of Croatian physician Fran Gundrum Oriovčanin (1856-1919) that distinguish him as one of the rare researchers in Croatia who attempted to synthesize cultural and biological anthropology. Gundrum collected comparative data on biological characteristics of various ethnic groups, searched for a connection between biological structures and cultural development, and assessed certain social facts and customs from the perspective of medical teleology. This article presents the four most frequent anthropological issues raised in his work: anatomy and physiology of individuals, ethnic groups and "races"; attitudes on prostitution; Jews as a model of alcohol abstinence; and the "degeneration" of Western culture/civilisation. In spite of pronounced linear evolutionism, his work compares social and medical practices between Western and non-Western nations.
Nineteenth-century psychiatry shifted its focus to the brain as the seat of mental disorders. Wit... more Nineteenth-century psychiatry shifted its focus to the brain as the seat of mental disorders. With a new understanding of mental disorders arose the need to consult forensic psychiatrists in cases of criminal acts committed by persons with mental illness. This article focuses on three murders committed by 'epileptics' at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries in Croatia. An analysis of these cases will help to situate forensic psychiatry at the turn of the century within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and reveal the authority that forensic experts wielded in the courts. We will argue that Cesare Lombroso's biological theory of crime, as well as the influence of eugenicists and pharmaceutical companies, shaped the long-standing relationship between epilepsy and violent behaviour.
The aim of this paper is to depict the anatomical and physiological doctrines of the treatise ent... more The aim of this paper is to depict the anatomical and physiological doctrines of the treatise entitled Περι πνευματος, or De spiritu. By closely examining the contents of the treatise on its own accord, rather than through its Aristotelian or Hellenistic contexts, we attempt to overcome the aporetic and often disconnected style of the author, and to present a coherent picture of his doctrine of pneuma, its roles in the body, the anatomical structures in which it acts, and its relation to the soul. We argue that the author envisions three main systems in the body: artēriai, by which external air is taken in, turned into pneuma and distributed to different parts of the body; phlebes, by which blood is produced and distributed; bones and neura, which support the body and effect locomotion. Pneuma is shown to run through the system of artēriai, whereby it performs vital activities such as thermoregulation, digestion and pulsation. It is also engaged in activities such as perception and ...
The aim of this paper is to depict the anatomical and physiological doctrines of the treatise ent... more The aim of this paper is to depict the anatomical and physiological doctrines of the treatise entitled Περὶ πνεύματος, or De spiritu. By closely examining the contents of the treatise on its own accord, rather than through its Aristotelian or Hellenistic contexts, we attempt to overcome the aporetic and often disconnected style of the author, and to present a coherent picture of his doctrine of pneuma, its roles in the body, the anatomical infrastructure in which it acts, and its relation to the soul. We argue that the author envisions three main systems in the body: artēriai, by which external air is taken in, turned into pneuma and distributed to different parts of the body; phlebes, by which blood is produced and distributed; neura-cum-bones, which support the body and effect locomotion. Pneuma is shown to run through the system of artēriai, whereby it achieves vital activities such as thermoregulation, digestion and pulsation. It is also engaged in activities such as perception and locomotion, in the form of the ‘connate pneuma’ from which certain bodily parts are composed. The soul is shown to be the explanatory concept for the anatomical variety that allows the functioning of the body by means of pneuma.
The earliest serious investigation into prostitution in Croatia was a survey conducted in 1907 by... more The earliest serious investigation into prostitution in Croatia was a survey conducted in 1907 by the physician Fran Gundrum. His study was an attempt at a comprehensive exploration of prostitution, which tried to reconstruct demographic, anthropologic, and sociologic features of prostitutes. I present an analysis of his study and argue that Gundrum consistently found himself vacillating between blaming society and charging the nature of women to explain the existence of prostitution. This ambivalence was a result of embracing both the power of Enlightenment, which believed that human morality could be improved by the process of learning, and the notion of hereditary degeneration, which regarded human improvement by reeducation as futile. Heavily influenced by his Catholic upbringing and political conservatism, Gundrum married the "scientific" notion of innate prostitution with a pervasive view of women as flirtatious and materialistic. His survey reveals the typical personality of the period, a scientific enthusiast advocating the medical control of the population and the use of statistics in realizing that goal. It was, essentially, an attempt to construct and verify widespread attitudes toward public health as a method of monitoring venereal diseases and social control in general.
The aim of this paper is to depict the anatomical and physiological doctrines of the treatise ent... more The aim of this paper is to depict the anatomical and physiological doctrines of the treatise entitled Περὶ πνεύματος, or De spiritu. By closely examining the contents of the treatise on its own accord, rather than through its Aristotelian or Hellenistic contexts, we attempt to overcome the aporetic and often disconnected style of the author, and to present a coherent picture of his doctrine of pneuma, its roles in the body, the anatomical infrastructure in which it acts, and its relation to the soul. We argue that the author envisions three main systems in the body: artēriai, by which external air is taken in, turned into pneuma and distributed to different parts of the body; phlebes, by which blood is produced and distributed; neura-cum-bones, which support the body and effect locomotion. Pneuma is shown to run through the system of artēriai, whereby it achieves vital activities such as thermoregulation, digestion and pulsation. It is also engaged in activities such as perception and locomotion, in the form of the ‘connate pneuma’ from which certain bodily parts are composed. The soul is shown to be the explanatory concept for the anatomical variety that allows the functioning of the body by means of pneuma.
Apeiron. A Journal for Ancient Philosophy and Science 47.1, Jan 15, 2014
Aristotle had a developed theory of animal motion with an elaborate physiological component. In t... more Aristotle had a developed theory of animal motion with an elaborate physiological component. In this paper we present the physiological component in which the main role is assigned to structures called neura that operate on the bones to which they are attached. We demonstrate that neura exclude muscles and we propose an explanation for Aristotle’s curious failure to observe the actual role of muscles in producing limb motion. Also, we try to identify the main neura specified by Aristotle, we show that he conceived of their operation on the bones in producing limb motion in much the same way as we conceive of the operation of muscles, and we point out the main difficulties for his account.
Fran Gundrum (1856-1919) was a Croatian physician, encyclopedist, and an advocate of medical enli... more Fran Gundrum (1856-1919) was a Croatian physician, encyclopedist, and an advocate of medical enlightenment and healthy lifestyle. In order to identify and analyze Gundrum's ideas about the problems of prostitution and criminality, we studied all of his books, booklets, and articles published between 1905 and 1914. We showed that Gundrum's theories of heredity, morality, and sexual hygiene incorporated many of the important discussions of his time, especially those related to the Darwinian paradigm. Gundrum's project of collecting statistics on prostitutes was the first such study published on the territory of today's Croatia. Although he rejected the notions of born prostitutes and born criminals, defended by Italian criminal anthropologist Cesare Lombroso, he still regarded eugenics as a convenient method of dealing with the ills of society. He believed that criminals were degenerate individuals representing a violent threat to the society and that it was legitimate to use radical means, such as sterilization and deportation, to deal with this problem. Organicistic view of the society prevented him from seeing the individual rights as important as that of the society to protect itself. Nevertheless, this view led to many humanistic ideas, such as the binomial illness/poverty in case of prostitution, which influenced many prominent works of social medicine movement.
Until the works of Fran Gundrum, there was no comprehensive analysis of sexuality in Croatia. In ... more Until the works of Fran Gundrum, there was no comprehensive analysis of sexuality in Croatia. In this article, we investigate the background of Gundrum's book Sexual Health Care, the first book on sexual hygiene in Croatia. We analyzed the motivational effect venereal diseases had on writing the book, as well as the metaphoric language he used to conceptualize them. Venereal diseases are presented in his work as a consequence of irresponsible sexual behavior, and are interpreted using the analogy of natural state of English political philosopher Thomas Hobbes. All aspects of his suggestions for suppression of venereal diseases were colored by giving priority to social over individual well-being. Tradition and modernity intermix in his work, shaping him as the pioneer of sexual hygiene on our territory in the times when questions about heredity and survival of the nation started to forcefully shape public health policies.
This paper will elaborate the impact of social, political and economic processes on the formation... more This paper will elaborate the impact of social, political and economic processes on the formation and development of the pharmaceutical profession in Croatia until the end of the Second World War. Political axes and dominant economic theories shaped a complex history of interactions between the pharmaceutical profession and state structures, dramatically polarizing the profession into interest groups. The paper will focus on the conflicts which arose from disagreements between owners and employees regarding professional interests, social issues and political ideologies, that became evident with the 1914 employees’ strike in Zagreb and ended with the nationalization of all Yugoslav pharmacies after the Second World War. The main argument is that the conflict between the owners and the employees created powerful dynamics of change in the pharmaceutical profession. It induced the establishment of various class bodies and official gazettes; influenced the debates around new pharmaceutic...
Recently, the World Health Organization launched its Universal Health Coverage initiative with th... more Recently, the World Health Organization launched its Universal Health Coverage initiative with the aim to improve access to quality health care on a global level, without causing financial hardship to the patients. In this paper, we will identify and analyze the ideological similarities between this influential initiative and the work of one of the founders of the WHO—Andrija Štampar (1888–1958)—whose social medicine was built of various normative, sociological and philosophical elements. Our aim is to demonstrate the crucial role of carefully erected and thought-out ideology for the success of public health programs.
Acta medico-historica adriatica : AMHA, Nov 1, 2015
By analysing his unpublished and published works, we have identified anthropological elements in ... more By analysing his unpublished and published works, we have identified anthropological elements in the studies of Croatian physician Fran Gundrum Oriovčanin (1856-1919) that distinguish him as one of the rare researchers in Croatia who attempted to synthesize cultural and biological anthropology. Gundrum collected comparative data on biological characteristics of various ethnic groups, searched for a connection between biological structures and cultural development, and assessed certain social facts and customs from the perspective of medical teleology. This article presents the four most frequent anthropological issues raised in his work: anatomy and physiology of individuals, ethnic groups and "races"; attitudes on prostitution; Jews as a model of alcohol abstinence; and the "degeneration" of Western culture/civilisation. In spite of pronounced linear evolutionism, his work compares social and medical practices between Western and non-Western nations.
Nineteenth-century psychiatry shifted its focus to the brain as the seat of mental disorders. Wit... more Nineteenth-century psychiatry shifted its focus to the brain as the seat of mental disorders. With a new understanding of mental disorders arose the need to consult forensic psychiatrists in cases of criminal acts committed by persons with mental illness. This article focuses on three murders committed by 'epileptics' at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries in Croatia. An analysis of these cases will help to situate forensic psychiatry at the turn of the century within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and reveal the authority that forensic experts wielded in the courts. We will argue that Cesare Lombroso's biological theory of crime, as well as the influence of eugenicists and pharmaceutical companies, shaped the long-standing relationship between epilepsy and violent behaviour.
The aim of this paper is to depict the anatomical and physiological doctrines of the treatise ent... more The aim of this paper is to depict the anatomical and physiological doctrines of the treatise entitled Περι πνευματος, or De spiritu. By closely examining the contents of the treatise on its own accord, rather than through its Aristotelian or Hellenistic contexts, we attempt to overcome the aporetic and often disconnected style of the author, and to present a coherent picture of his doctrine of pneuma, its roles in the body, the anatomical structures in which it acts, and its relation to the soul. We argue that the author envisions three main systems in the body: artēriai, by which external air is taken in, turned into pneuma and distributed to different parts of the body; phlebes, by which blood is produced and distributed; bones and neura, which support the body and effect locomotion. Pneuma is shown to run through the system of artēriai, whereby it performs vital activities such as thermoregulation, digestion and pulsation. It is also engaged in activities such as perception and ...
The aim of this paper is to depict the anatomical and physiological doctrines of the treatise ent... more The aim of this paper is to depict the anatomical and physiological doctrines of the treatise entitled Περὶ πνεύματος, or De spiritu. By closely examining the contents of the treatise on its own accord, rather than through its Aristotelian or Hellenistic contexts, we attempt to overcome the aporetic and often disconnected style of the author, and to present a coherent picture of his doctrine of pneuma, its roles in the body, the anatomical infrastructure in which it acts, and its relation to the soul. We argue that the author envisions three main systems in the body: artēriai, by which external air is taken in, turned into pneuma and distributed to different parts of the body; phlebes, by which blood is produced and distributed; neura-cum-bones, which support the body and effect locomotion. Pneuma is shown to run through the system of artēriai, whereby it achieves vital activities such as thermoregulation, digestion and pulsation. It is also engaged in activities such as perception and locomotion, in the form of the ‘connate pneuma’ from which certain bodily parts are composed. The soul is shown to be the explanatory concept for the anatomical variety that allows the functioning of the body by means of pneuma.
The earliest serious investigation into prostitution in Croatia was a survey conducted in 1907 by... more The earliest serious investigation into prostitution in Croatia was a survey conducted in 1907 by the physician Fran Gundrum. His study was an attempt at a comprehensive exploration of prostitution, which tried to reconstruct demographic, anthropologic, and sociologic features of prostitutes. I present an analysis of his study and argue that Gundrum consistently found himself vacillating between blaming society and charging the nature of women to explain the existence of prostitution. This ambivalence was a result of embracing both the power of Enlightenment, which believed that human morality could be improved by the process of learning, and the notion of hereditary degeneration, which regarded human improvement by reeducation as futile. Heavily influenced by his Catholic upbringing and political conservatism, Gundrum married the "scientific" notion of innate prostitution with a pervasive view of women as flirtatious and materialistic. His survey reveals the typical personality of the period, a scientific enthusiast advocating the medical control of the population and the use of statistics in realizing that goal. It was, essentially, an attempt to construct and verify widespread attitudes toward public health as a method of monitoring venereal diseases and social control in general.
The aim of this paper is to depict the anatomical and physiological doctrines of the treatise ent... more The aim of this paper is to depict the anatomical and physiological doctrines of the treatise entitled Περὶ πνεύματος, or De spiritu. By closely examining the contents of the treatise on its own accord, rather than through its Aristotelian or Hellenistic contexts, we attempt to overcome the aporetic and often disconnected style of the author, and to present a coherent picture of his doctrine of pneuma, its roles in the body, the anatomical infrastructure in which it acts, and its relation to the soul. We argue that the author envisions three main systems in the body: artēriai, by which external air is taken in, turned into pneuma and distributed to different parts of the body; phlebes, by which blood is produced and distributed; neura-cum-bones, which support the body and effect locomotion. Pneuma is shown to run through the system of artēriai, whereby it achieves vital activities such as thermoregulation, digestion and pulsation. It is also engaged in activities such as perception and locomotion, in the form of the ‘connate pneuma’ from which certain bodily parts are composed. The soul is shown to be the explanatory concept for the anatomical variety that allows the functioning of the body by means of pneuma.
Apeiron. A Journal for Ancient Philosophy and Science 47.1, Jan 15, 2014
Aristotle had a developed theory of animal motion with an elaborate physiological component. In t... more Aristotle had a developed theory of animal motion with an elaborate physiological component. In this paper we present the physiological component in which the main role is assigned to structures called neura that operate on the bones to which they are attached. We demonstrate that neura exclude muscles and we propose an explanation for Aristotle’s curious failure to observe the actual role of muscles in producing limb motion. Also, we try to identify the main neura specified by Aristotle, we show that he conceived of their operation on the bones in producing limb motion in much the same way as we conceive of the operation of muscles, and we point out the main difficulties for his account.
Fran Gundrum (1856-1919) was a Croatian physician, encyclopedist, and an advocate of medical enli... more Fran Gundrum (1856-1919) was a Croatian physician, encyclopedist, and an advocate of medical enlightenment and healthy lifestyle. In order to identify and analyze Gundrum's ideas about the problems of prostitution and criminality, we studied all of his books, booklets, and articles published between 1905 and 1914. We showed that Gundrum's theories of heredity, morality, and sexual hygiene incorporated many of the important discussions of his time, especially those related to the Darwinian paradigm. Gundrum's project of collecting statistics on prostitutes was the first such study published on the territory of today's Croatia. Although he rejected the notions of born prostitutes and born criminals, defended by Italian criminal anthropologist Cesare Lombroso, he still regarded eugenics as a convenient method of dealing with the ills of society. He believed that criminals were degenerate individuals representing a violent threat to the society and that it was legitimate to use radical means, such as sterilization and deportation, to deal with this problem. Organicistic view of the society prevented him from seeing the individual rights as important as that of the society to protect itself. Nevertheless, this view led to many humanistic ideas, such as the binomial illness/poverty in case of prostitution, which influenced many prominent works of social medicine movement.
Until the works of Fran Gundrum, there was no comprehensive analysis of sexuality in Croatia. In ... more Until the works of Fran Gundrum, there was no comprehensive analysis of sexuality in Croatia. In this article, we investigate the background of Gundrum's book Sexual Health Care, the first book on sexual hygiene in Croatia. We analyzed the motivational effect venereal diseases had on writing the book, as well as the metaphoric language he used to conceptualize them. Venereal diseases are presented in his work as a consequence of irresponsible sexual behavior, and are interpreted using the analogy of natural state of English political philosopher Thomas Hobbes. All aspects of his suggestions for suppression of venereal diseases were colored by giving priority to social over individual well-being. Tradition and modernity intermix in his work, shaping him as the pioneer of sexual hygiene on our territory in the times when questions about heredity and survival of the nation started to forcefully shape public health policies.
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