Dimitrije Frušić, also known in Trieste as Demetrio Frussich (21 January 1790 - 13 October 1838) was a prominent Serbian medical doctor, journalist, and publisher. He was the founder of the influential ''Novine Serbske'' (Serbian News) together with Dimitrije Davidović in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

during the Serbian Enlightenment. He was a well-respected physician in his day who played an important role in the construction of a new hospital -- ''Ospedale Maggiore'' -- in Trieste.

Biography

Dimitrije Frušić was born in today's Vojvodina, in the village of Divoš, near

Sremska Mitrovica Sremska Mitrovica (; sr-Cyrl, Сремска Митровица, hu, Szávaszentdemeter, la, Sirmium) is a city and the administrative center of the Srem District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the left bank ...

in Fruška Gora, then part of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

. He originates from a noble family Frušić. Dimitrije Frušić studied philosophy and medicine at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

and became a doctor in 1815. At the university, he studied art and architecture as well. While still a medical student in Vienna, he and Dimitrije Davidović, launched the ''Novine Serbske'' on 17 August 1813. When the newspaper ran its course, Dimitrije Frušić, now a graduate from Medical School, left Vienna in 1819 for Trieste where he opened his practice and worked at a hospital there. Frušić designed plans for the construction of a new hospital, ''Ospedale Maggiore'' (later renamed ''Ospidali Riuniti di Trieste''). He was also an active participant in the literary and political life of the city. As a student in Vienna Frušić, who had an excellent command of the German language, served as an interpreter for Serbian envoy and ''Prota'' (priest)

Matija Nenadović Matija Nenadović ( sr-cyrl, Матија Ненадовић, or Mateja Nenadović sr-cyr, Матеја Ненадовић; 26 February 1777 – 11 December 1854), also known as Prota Mateja, was a Serbian archpriest, writer, and politician who ...

in the company of the Austrian emperor on two occasions. At that time he and Davidović also met

Vuk Karadžić Vuk Stefanović Karadžić ( sr-Cyrl, Вук Стефановић Караџић, ; 6 November 1787 (26 October OS)7 February 1864) was a Serbian philologist, anthropologist and linguist. He was one of the most important reformers of the mode ...

and Jernej Kopitar who were working on the language reform. In the modest premises of his printing shop, Frušić opened a Reading Room equipped with Serbian books and ''Novine Serbske'' that also became a meeting place for intellectuals. Always impressed with Vuk Karadžić's work, Frušić raised money for the scholar with the help of such friends as

Joakim Vujić Joakim Vujić (Serbian Cyrillic: Јоаким Вујић; Baja, Habsburg monarchy, 9 September 1772 – Belgrade, Principality of Serbia, 8 November 1847) was a Serbian writer, dramatist (musical stage and theatre), actor, traveler and polyglot. ...

Atanasije Stojković Atanasije Stojković (September 20, 1773 in Ruma, Austrian Empire – September 25, 1832 in Kharkov, Imperial Russia) was a Serbian, Austrian and Russian writer, pedagogue, scholar, physicist, mathematician and astronomer of Serb origin. He is con ...

Pavle Solarić Pavle Solarić (7 August 1779 – 18 January 1821) was a Serbian linguist, geographer, archaeologist, poet, bibliographer and man of letters. He was one of Dositej Obradović's early students and an ardent disciple. Biography Solarić was born in ...

, and the wealthy Teodoroviches of Trieste. He supported Vuk's reforms along with many other intellectuals in Trieste and elsewhere at the time. Dimitrije Frušić died in Trieste where he was buried in a Serbian cemetery.

Family life

He was married to Jovanka, daughter of Lazar and Ana Lukić of

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

. They had three children: Čedomilj (born 6 February 1826; d. 1835), Dušan (born March 7, 1827; d. 1896) and Milica (born 17 July 1831; d. 1911).

Legacy

A library is named after him in Divoš, his hometown.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frusic, Dimitrije 1790 births 1838 deaths People from Sremska Mitrovica Serbian physicians 19th-century Serbian writers 19th-century male writers Serbian male writers Serbian journalists Physicians from Trieste University of Vienna alumni

Biography

Family life

Legacy

See also

References