Tivadar Duka

Theodore Duka or Duka Tivadar (22 June 1825 – 5 May 1908) was a Hungarian army officer, who later became a medical doctor in the United Kingdom and worked in India on various topics, especially philology.

Life

Duka was born at Dukafalva, Sáros County, to Francis de Duka and Johanna, daughter of Francis de Szechy. He studied at the Lutheran College at Eperjes and later studied law at the University of Budapest. In 1848 he served in the government working under Louis Kossuth, the Finance Minister. During the war, he joined the National Army and became an aide-de-camp to General Arthur Görgey, commander of the 7th Army Corps in the Hungarian National Army and saw action at Világos in 1849 and at the First Battle of Komárom on 26 April 1849. Duka and the other Hungarians surrendered to the Russians but were released. He made his way through Germany and France where he was helped by István Türr. In 1850 he reached London and he began to study medicine at St George's Hospital. His ability to speak several European languages helped and he taught German and studied English at the Birkbeck Institution. Through the influence of George Pollock, Duka received a commission as Assistant Surgeon in the Bengal Army and served in Monghyr, Patna, Shimla and Darjeeling. Here he studied many Indian languages. He also collected specimens of natural history, including nearly 500 bird skins and eggs which he sent to the Hungarian National Museum. He married the daughter of Reverend Charles Taylor at Calcutta on 14 January 1855 and he retired from the Indian Medical Service on 27 March 1877 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.