Famous Hungarian Physicians

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 1 
Ignaz Semmelweis
(Physician)
Ignaz Semmelweis
5
Birthdate: July 1, 1818
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Tabán, Budapest, Hungary
Died: August 13, 1865

Almost 2 decades before germ theory was laid down, Ignaz Semmelweis became the first physician to suggest that hand-washing could prevent the spread of puerperal fever and related deaths. Ironically, after being ridiculed for his theory, he died in a mental asylum, due to an infection from a wound.

 2 
Thomas Szasz
(Psychiatrist)
Thomas Szasz
4
Birthdate: April 15, 1920
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: September 8, 2012

Hungarian-American psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, who spent most of life teaching at the State University of New York Health Science Center, was known for his controversial claim that mental illnesses aren’t illnesses at all. Part of the anti-psychiatry movement, he penned books such as The Myth of Mental Illness.

 3 
Hans Selye
(Hungarian-Canadian Endocrinologist Known for His Studies of the Effects of Stress on the Human Body)
Hans Selye
3
Birthdate: January 26, 1907
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: October 16, 1982
Born to a doctor father, Hungarian-Canadian endocrinologist Hans Selye grew up to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 17 times but never won it. He is remembered for his ground-breaking work the medical impact of stress on the human body, also known as stress response.
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 4 
Miklós Nyiszli
(Hungarian Prisoner of Jewish Heritage at Auschwitz Concentration Camp)
Miklós Nyiszli
3
Birthdate: June 17, 1901
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Șimleu Silvaniei, Romania
Died: May 5, 1956

Hungarian Jewish doctor and forensic pathologist Miklós Nyiszli was sent to Auschwitz along with his family. He survived the concentration camp to tell the tale in his iconic book Auschwitz: A Doctor’s Eyewitness Account. Though he escaped death, he was forced to conduct experiments on fellow inmates under Dr. Josef Mengele.

 5 
Gisella Perl
(Gynecologist)
Gisella Perl
3
Birthdate: December 10, 1907
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Sighetu Marmației, Romania
Died: December 16, 1988
 6 
Margaret Mahler
(Physician)
Margaret Mahler
3
Birthdate: May 10, 1897
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Sopron, Hungary
Died: October 2, 1985
 7 
Sándor Ferenczi
(Hungarian Psychoanalyst)
Sándor Ferenczi
3
Birthdate: July 7, 1873
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Miskolc, Hungary
Died: May 22, 1933

Sándor Ferenczi is best remembered for his research on free association and the psychoanalytic theory. Initially an army doctor, he specialized in subjects such as neuropathology and hypnosis. He was also close to Sigmund Freud and later taught at the University of Budapest. He also established the Hungarian Psychoanalytic Society.

 8 
Max Nordau
(Physician, Author and Co-founder of World Zionist Organization)
Max Nordau
2
Birthdate: July 29, 1849
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Pest, Budapest, Hungary
Died: January 23, 1923

Hungarian physician and author Max Nordau was the son of a rabbi. After practicing medicine in Budapest for a while, he went to Paris and began writing for Neue Freie Presse. A major figure behind the Zionist Organization, he penned The Conventional Lies of Our Civilization, which was banned in several countries.

 9 
Léopold Szondi
(Psychiatrist known for the psychological tool that bears his name, the Szondi test)
Léopold Szondi
0
Birthdate: March 11, 1893
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Nitra, Slovakia
Died: January 24, 1986
 10 
Franz Alexander
(Hungarian-American Psychoanalyst Who Is Considered One of the Founders of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychoanalytic Criminology)
Franz Alexander
1
Birthdate: January 22, 1891
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: March 8, 1964

The son of Hungarian philosopher Bernhard Alexander, Franz Alexander grew up to become a physician and a pioneer of psychosomatic medicine. Known for his research on the role of emotional experience on physical illness, he also applied psychoanalytic principles to the study of criminal behavior.

 11 
Zsuzsanna Jakab
(Public health expert)
Zsuzsanna Jakab
1
Birthdate: May 17, 1951
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary