In the first issue of Pénzvilág in 1911, Baron Dr Adolf Kohner (1866–1937) was described as a leading figure of the economic elite in Pest. As the most success- ful member of a family of merchants, which by then had already spanned four generations, he inherited part of the family’s economic interests. The Kohners began trading in Csongrád County in the 1830s. However, its members soon moved to Pest, where they started trading in produce as well as in down and feather in 1840. The next generation founded the Adolf Kohner’s Sons, a firm trading in produce and valuable goods. In 1881, the Kohner and Hatvany- Deutsch families bought the Nagysurány sugar factory jointly, which indicates the expansion of their commercial networks. The decades that followed were a time of growing economic interests, acquisitions, and commercial relations. Adolf Kohner’s membership in the ‘multiposition elite’ is attested to by his many positions held in economy, society and culture, as well as by his baronial title which he obtained in 1912. He founded a total of 34 companies, was a share- holder in 63 companies, and owned 3 public limited companies. Between 1894 and 1918, he was involved as founder or director in at least 42 companies, with a strong presence in the textile, chemical, milling and leather industries. The aim of this study is to systematize these disparate economic interests and analyze their intricate web of interrelationships.

What is the social historical relevance of a 1931 health survey targeting the “marginal social group” of children? This kind of data can prove to be a treasure trove if it goes beyond the simple record of the prevailing methods of medical diagnosis and physical condition, and enables the researcher to compare health status with other variables, such as comparing social, religious, regional groups or their broader social and political background. To some extent, Debrecen clinician Ede Neuber’s survey, undertaken between 1930 and 1937, makes this possible. Moreover, since he expanded the original “medical registry” of elementary school students to university students, and later to the children of the elite families of Hajdú County, comparative analysis is possible. The reason for the breadth of Neuber’s data collection was that he specifically designed the survey to fight tuberculosis and syphilis, with the broader aim of optimalising human resources.This was the broadest, non-governmental initative between the world wars, which eventually received governmental support as well. Data from altogether ten thousand elementary school students, three thousand university students, and 947 children from elite families was collected – unfortunately not in consistent detail. Neuber recorded with relative consistency the health status as well as data revealing social background (parent’s occupation), personal hygiene (lice, fleas, unwashed body), living conditions (size of dwelling, number of beds, size of family, quality of water supply and sewage removal, material and dampness of flooring, number and size of windows, access to yard or garden). This allows the comparative analysis of various segments of Debrecen elementary students (two-years’ cohort of 3500 students between 1930 and 1932) in relation with their living conditions, determined by the parents’ social status, religion, occupation or the infrastructure of their residence (residential or school district).