Page - 187 - in Universities in Imperial Austria, 1848–1918 - A Social History of a Multilingual Space

Chapter 5 ♦  187 terna proposed in 1887 for the chair of gynecology did not take into account renowned gynecologists from outside Prague. Since capable scholars were already in place, the proposal noted, “this faculty stands in a special posi- tion sadly owing to a still existing animosity, and its members have under these conditions scarce expectations to find employment at other, especially German universities, a circumstance that has discouraged some scholars from obtaining a Privatdozentur at this university. So, the faculty has de- cided . . . to take only its own forces into consideration.”52 Two local scholars mentioned in the terna, although specialized gynecologists, were seen by the ministry (clearly advised by Eduard Albert) as having been proposed only for this reason and not for their scientific qualifications; this resulted in the appointment of Karel Pawlík, a Viennese Privatdozent, as a full professor.53 Against the Chinese Spirit: Exchange and Competition in Czech Bohemia Appointments of scholars from outside Bohemia remained scarce until 1918 and mostly resulted from personal contacts. Most Viennese scholars, includ- ing Pawlík, were nominated thanks to the support of Eduard Albert, who was critical of the ideas of the Czech Prague professors who opposed the appointment of scholars from outside the university.54 Although the Viennese scholars were not the only appointees from non-Czech institutes, both the medical and philosophical faculties had limited transfers from other univer- sities within and outside the empire, nominating only a handful of scholars, mostly émigré Bohemians and Moravians who had established themselves at other institutions. As an analysis of the place of graduation of Prague schol- ars demonstrates, the local Prague environment clearly predominated here; only a few graduates from outside the Czech Charles-Ferdinand University were working as Privatdozenten or professors (nine scholars, that is, 6 per- cent).55 The number of scholars who had studied at other universities in the Habsburg Empire and abroad was higher: 15 percent at the medical faculty and 35 percent at the philosophical faculty; these stays abroad, however, mostly involved one- to two-semester scholarships. Similarly, few appointments were made from the Czech University to other institutions. Konstantin Jireček’s appointment to the University of Vienna in 1894, where he later founded the Institute of East European History (Institut für Osteuropäische Geschichte), was a notable exception.