Enlightenment and Freemasonry in the Life and Work of the Physician Joannis Baptistae Lalangue

Abstract

Data on the educational and Freemasonry activities of Doctor Joannis Baptistae Lalangue have been relatively modestly represented in the scientific literature until now. Based on recent research, we have come to the realizations that give us a new context for the life and work of Lalangue, especially from the aspect of his social activity. All of the above had very significant repercussions on his entire public health work and especially on his journalistic and publishing work. John the Baptist Lalangue was a successful physician. During his medical studies in Vienna, he was recognized by Baron van Swieten, the first name in medicine of the Habsburg Monarchy. Recent knowledge speaks of his very notable Enlightenment and Freemasonry work, which largely determined his life and work. Lalangue has created a truly impressive literary work, which is closely related to his active Enlightenment and public Masonry engagement. The mentioned progressive Enlightenment engagement is also responsible for the fact that thanks to Lalangue, we already had printed medical original professional literature in the Croatian language in the second half of the 18^th century. This directly changed the conditions in society, primarily in the field of public health, for the better, not only in Croatia but also throughout the Habsburg Monarchy.

Sažetak

Podaci o obrazovnim i slobodnozidarskim aktivnostima doktora Joannisa Baptistae Lalanguea do sada su relativno skromno predstavljeni u znanstvenoj literaturi. Na temelju nedavnih istraživanja, došli smo do spoznaja koje stvaraju novi kontekst za Lalangueov život i rad, posebno s aspekta njegove društvene aktivnosti. Sve navedeno imalo je vrlo značajne reperkusije na cijeli njegov rad u javnom zdravstvu, a posebno na njegovo spisalačko i izdavačko djelovanje. Ivan Krstitelj Lalangue bio je uspješan liječnik, tijekom studija medicine u Beču prepoznao ga je barun van Swieten, prvo ime u medicini Habsburške Monarhije. Nedavna saznanja govore o njegovom vrlo zapaženom prosvjetiteljskom i slobodnozidarskom radu, što je uvelike odredilo njegov život i rad. Lalangue je stvorio doista impresivno književno djelo, koje je usko povezano s njegovim aktivnim prosvjetiteljskim i javnim slobodnozidarskim angažmanom. Navedeni progresivni prosvjetiteljski angažman također je zaslužan za činjenicu da smo zahvaljujući Lalangueu već u drugoj polovici 18. stoljeća imali tiskanu medicinsku originalnu stručnu literaturu na hrvatskom jeziku. To je izravno promijenilo uvjete u društvu, prvenstveno na području javnog zdravstva, na bolje, ne samo u Hrvatskoj, već i u cijeloj Habsburškoj Monarhiji.