[Leopold Berchtold (1759-1809) and the beginning of industrial hygiene and accident prevention]

From the background of the spirit of occidental enlightenment with its specific rationalism and the love to human nature, especially to the common people, emerged Leopold Graf Berchtold with his scientific and philanthropic thrivings. He was born in 1759 in South Bohemia as the son of a well-to-do family from the country gentry. Thus he could afford to make large travels on which he acquired knowledge in medicine, hygiene, social medicine and the various kinds of social medicine, at that time still in its very beginnings. Testimony of this is given by many of his writings, e.g. the "Table of Warnings from Health Dangers for Craftsmen of various Trades". Like many a scholar of his era, he was occupied with the salvation of the seemingly dead. Berchtold, though, in his philanthropic-mindedness, did not content himself with literary efforts. For not only did he open two infirmaries and a smaller hospital in his native place, where any person in need was accepted without consideration of his social status; but also, disregarding his family's protest, did he change his own castle into a hospital. A cloth factory in the vicinity of the castle (which was closed again later on) gave the people the possibility to earn their own living. The consideration of safety provisions for workers, as well as taking into account hygienic measures were serious efforts that deserved to be taken as well. Due to all these efforts he made for the well-being of the people under his protection, he was called "philanthropist" and "Howard of Western salves".