Elemer Mihalyi

Memoirs of a Survivor of the Twentieth Century: from Transylvania to the United States Elemer Mihalyi

This is an autobiography. Describes the life of Elemér Mihályi from early childhood, through school years, medical school and work as a doctor during the siege of Budapest and in a Russian prison camp. After this he abandoned medical practice and for the rest of his life was engaged in scientific research, first in Budapest, then in Stockholm and finally in the USA; for the last 30 years in the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. The tumultuous events in Central Europe between the World Wars and after form the background of the history of his family. Romania occupied Transylvania in 1920 and an oppressive, chauvinistic regime followed. This was alleviated in the northern half when this was returned to Hungary, however after the war Romanian rule was restored for the whole province. The author escaped to Hungary, but soon Communism was slowly encroaching this country. Again he had to leave and by good luck arrived to America. Beside the historical facts all of this is illustrated by numerous anecdotal events, more than by an analytical approach. All the episodes are true, from the life of the author, given without embellishments or omissions.