Јован Данић : (1854−1924)

Abstract

Jovan Danić (1854−1924) completed his primary school and the fi rst year of secondary education in Kragujevac and the remaining fi ve years of secondary education he completed in Belgrade in 1869. He then enroled at the Law School of the Higher School in Belgrade. In 1870, he enroled at Medical School, completing 7 semesters where he was taught neuropsychiatry by psychiatrist professor Gudden, who impressed Danić so much that he later decided to study psychiatry. In 1874 attended Medical School in Vitzburg, Germany where he completed medical studies defending his doctoral dissertation Ueber die Praecordialangst bei Geisteskranken. Th en he spent 8 months at the Paris School of Medicine, mostly at the clinic of the famous professor Charcot. In June 1975, he returned to Switzerland and did a 2-month internship at Kreuzspital hospital in Chur, in Switzerland. He returned to Belgrade in September 1875, successfully passed the state exam and opened his private medical practice. With the First Serbo-Turkish war soon breaking out, was sent to a garrison in Zaječar where he was the head of the fi eld hospital. In 1885, Jovan Danić was elected an honorary member of the Royal Medical Academy in Rome. Sometime later he also became an honorary member of the Association of Doctors in Croatia, Slavonia and Međumurje, delivering impressive lectures at their sessions. He was Serbian representative at several international congresses; the International Veterinary Congress in Brussels in 1883, the International Sanitary Conference on Cholera in Rome in 1885, the International Congress on Alcoholism in Budapest in 1905. In 1907, he represented the Serbian Medical Society at the Congress of Czech Doctors and Naturalists in Prague. Comander in chief General Chernyayev awarded him a silver medal of bravery. For almost the entire year of 1878, he served as a physician with the 5th battalion near Kuršumlija during which time he translated the 3-volume book System of Hygiene by professor Eduard Reich. Towards the end of 1878, he was briefl y the Head of the Internal Department of the Military Hospital in Belgrade, but in 1879 he resumed his private practice until November 1st, 1880 when he went back to the military service working as an offi cer in the Sanitary Department of the Army Ministry. In June 1881, Danić was appointed as a secondary care physician at the Mental Health Hospital as well as an Honorary Secretary of the Civil Sanitary Department, headed by Dr. Vladan Đorđević whom he assisted in the implementation of the adopted sanitary laws and regulations, and the editing of the popular offi cial monthly journal on the subject of hygiene – Public Health. When, in 1884, Dr. Vladan Đorđević was elected President of the Belgrade Municipality, Danić took over from him the complete editing job of the journal in which he published several popular articles aimed at raising health awareness. At the Serbo-Bulgarian War he served as a doctor of the 1st regiment, demonstrating extraordinary dedication. In December 1885 he started working as a secondary care physician at the Mental Health Hospital. From June 12th, 1886 until November 1889 he was appointed director the Hospital. Th en he was appointed as a supervisory physician for Ćuprija county until May 8th, 1892 when, he was re-appointed as the consulting physician of the First Unit of the Mental Health Hospital and was re-appointed as its Director on August 22, 1894, heading it until he retired in 1911. During the First World War, Dr. Danić performed a diffi cult duty of the Director of the Reserve Military Hospital in Aleksinac, where thousands of wounded and sick people were receiving treatment. By the end of 1915, he was taken into Austrian custody and escorted to Belgrade where he served as the Director of the State General Hospita. Being accused of shielding wounded rebelions he was sent to concentration camp in Hungary for several months. Aft er returning to Belgrade, he lived on miserly salaries and loans. Aft er the war, he worked as the editor of the Serbian Archives of Medicine, was involved in curbing alcoholism, helped medical doctors to fi nally set up their Chamber and became ist fi rst, unanimously elected, president. He lived modestly, he died in the house in which he was born. He was buried on October 27th, in the family grave at the New Cemetery, in the presence of a large number of his colleagues and citizens of Belgrade. Dr. Jovan Danić worked longest as the secondary care physician and director of the Mental Health Hospital trying to improve treatment of these patients appealing for a new, modern hospital to be built. He regularly submitted Reports about the working of the Hospital, printed in the Serbian Archives of Medicine and served as a source for analysts studying the treatment of psychiatric illnesses in Serbia at the time. As a member, and later as the President of the Main Sanitary Council, he was involved in the assessment of the mental state of crime perpetrators and thus set the foundations of forensic psychiatry in our country. He became member of the Serbian Medical Society (SMS) in 1875, and was one of its most esteemed and deserving members, and also the President for 10 years. When the Court of Honour of the Society was founded in 1905, he was elected its President and kept the offi ce for the rest of his life. As a sign of gratitude, on November 30th, 1907 the SMS organized a special gala event to mark the 30 years of medical services and literary activities of Dr. Jovan Danić and issued a special edition of Doctor’s Beacon. Aft er 10 years in offi ce as SMS President, Danić became its honorary lifetime president. When the Medical Chamber was founded in 1924, Dr. Danić was elected its fi rst President by acclamation. Dr. Jovan Danić was elected a regular member of the Main Sanitary Council in 1882 becoming its President 1896 until his death in 1924. Between 1896 and 1914, he also edited the publication Public Health. Doctor’s Advice to the People which was appeared in twelve volumes annually, on 25 pages on average (total of 1.632 pages over 19 years). Th e journal had eight regular columns. By editing this journal and publishing numerous articles, translations and edited translations from several languages by foreign authors, Danić made remarkable contribution to the development of public health awareness. Th e journal was one of rare sources which, for years, spread hygiene advice amongst the people. From 1896 until the last but one volume of this journal from the year1924, Danić also edited the Serbian Archives of Medicine, the main journal of the Serbian Medical Society which, in its 12 annual volumes. Since he took over editing of the Archives, and until he died in 1924, Danić worked on 24 of its volumes, on 11.768 pages in total. Th is time consuming job, done successfully over 25 years, was possible because Danić was very well acquainted with the medical profession and science and because he was naturally organized, kind, tactful, friendly, without any personal interests. He and Dr. D. G. Popović jointly published Health Bulletin. Calendar for the People between 1903 and 1913, and in 1921, which provided information and advice to the people. Dr. Jovan Danić was a prominent public fi gure. As a member of the opposition old Progressive Party, he was elected a council member of the Belgrade Municipality on three occasions. Between 1901 and 1903 he was an MP in the National Assembly. In 1903 and 1904, Danić was Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the First Congress of Serbian Doctors and Naturalists, held in Belgrade between 5−8 September, 1904 attended by 433 doctors and naturalists from Serbia and abroad. As a physician and a social worker, seeing the catastrophic consequences of alcohol abuse on the people and the state, Danić headed a committee founded by the Society Against the Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages in which he was unanimously elected its President and where he advocated total abstinence. Danić was well known amongst anti-alcohol activists abroad and was a member of a standing committee which organized international antialcohol congresses representing Serbia. In 1912 the antialcoholic movement had about 8.000 members across 80 organizations. In April, 1912 he organised the First Congress of the Youth Abstinence Organization. Aft er the First world war, the Temperance Movement was restored, spreading amongst young people, and all temperance movements were gathered into the Yugoslav Temperance Society which elected Dr. Jovan Danić as its honorary president. Danić was the recipient of the Medal of Valour for the courage demonstrated in the First Serbo-Turkish War, awards for participation in all three wars which Serbia had led, the Order of the Cross of Takovo 3rd class, the Order of the White Eagle 5th class, and the Medal of Valour for the courage exhibited in the Balkan Wars. For his outstanding achievements in curbing alcoholism, in 1923 he was awarded the Order of St Sava with ribbon. His contributions and achievements are numerous. Th e exact number of his publications is not known. Usually some 200 pieces of various publications are mentioned but complete list of his publications is impossible to compile as he most likely did not sign all of his articles. As a physician and the director of the Mental Health Hospital in Belgrade, Danić improved the methods of treatment of psychiatric patients to the greatest extent, wrote a number of very valuable pieces on psychiatry and also translated several from foreign languages. As a member and the longest serving President of the Main Sanitary Council, Danić was the best analyst of most psychiatric cases foundating forensic psychiatry in Serbia. His editorial work on the Serbian Archives of Medicine enabled preservation of almost everything that Serbian doctors achieved professionally between 1896 and 1925. Even if he had not done anything else for our medical profession, such an excellent long-term editorial job on this periodical would have been more than enough to place Dr. Jovan Danić in the exclusive circle of the greatest medical professionals of Serbia. His editorial work on the journals Public Health and Public Health. Doctor’s Advice to the People, greatly boosted public health awareness amongst the people.