Martin Steer

* Nagyszombat, September 6, 1798 – † Nyitra, May 4, 1879 / physician, university professor ; ; One of his ancestors fled to Transylvania from the Catholic persecutions in Scotland in the middle of the 17th century. His father, Ferenc Steer (died in 1806) was a teacher at the Latin school in Nagyszombat, his mother, Julianna Palsovits (1772–1868) came from a prestigious Nagyszombat family: his father was also a senator and mayor in the city. Márton Steer graduated from high school and university in Vienna and obtained his doctorate in medicine in 1824 (his cousin, Ferenc Steer, studied pharmacy here with him, who later opened a pharmacy in Košice). Between 1826 and 1848, he was a professor at the University of Padua in Italy. In 1832 he published a 55-page work on the cholera epidemic in Hungary (Cenni intorno la natura morbo che infieri nell Ungheria nell anno 1831 il nome Colera Asiatico) in which he refers to several Hungarian doctors, and it is even probable that he visited Hungary personally in 1831. He returned to his homeland in March 1848 (Sándor Dörnyei believes that the Italians rebelling against the Austrians considered him a pro-Austrian foreigner, which is why he almost fled Padua) and settled in Nitra. It cannot be proven that he practiced medicine here, and in 1852 he applied to the University of Padua to be allowed to teach again, but the rector rejected this. While still in Italy, he became interested in silkworm breeding, and in 1844 he published the Hungarian Farmer. published an article on silkworm breeding in the newspaper. In 1846, he also wrote a booklet on the subject entitled The Influence of Silk Breeding on the Well-being of Families and Estates. An Appeal to His Compatriots. In 1848, he submitted a public education reform plan to the Pest Ministry (National Studienreformplan für Ungarn). In it, among other things, he advocated better exploitation of natural resources and an increase in the role of natural sciences in education. His suggestion that the languages of individual nationalities should also be taught in schools is also noteworthy. He envisioned public education in four levels: village (elementary school), district, county (gymnasium), regional (academy) and national educational institution (university). In connection with the medical faculty, he emphasized the greater role of practical training.