Dr. Ahmed Nureddin Bey and His Report Submitted to the Municipal Council on Health Matters in Istanbul (1914)

Abstract

There is very limited information about the life of Ahmed Nureddin Bey, who is described in the Sicill-i Ahval registers as one of the “remarkable physicians of the Ottoman Empire” and a “capable teacher.” He served for a long period as the chief physician and surgeon at the Haseki Women’s Hospital and was among the first physicians in Turkey to implement aseptic and antiseptic practices. Official records indicate that he was born in Tulca in 1865. After graduating from the Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Mülkiye in 1887, he began his professional career at the Haseki Nisa Hospital. Dr. Ahmed Nureddin Bey, who received numerous honors, ranks, and medals for his successful work, was appointed to the Gureba-yı Müslimin Hospital in 1899. In 1907, he was appointed as the chief physician at Haseki Nisa Hospital.

During the Second Constitutional Era, he was sent to Europe with Dr Muhittin Nuri Bey during Ziver Bey’s term as the City Mayor. After returning to the country, he prepared a memorandum on the administration of hospitals and other charitable institutions in Europe to present to the City Council. Following this memorandum, a commission was established within the City Council and work commenced. Ultimately, on October 14, 1909, the Müessesat-ı Hayriye-i Sıhhiye İdaresi (Health Charitable Institutions Administration) was officially established, and Dr. Ahmed Nureddin Bey was appointed as its General Inspector. The aim of this institution, which operated in Istanbul between 1909 and 1912, was to open new hospitals and charitable institutions by resolving the physical and administrative problems of health institutions affiliated with the Municipal Council. Dr. Ahmed Nureddin Bey, who also served as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, was a member of the commission formed in 1916 to complete the deficiencies of Darülaceze and bring this institution up to the level of charitable institutions in Europe. In 1920, he was appointed to the Meclis-i Âli-i Sıhhiye (the High Council of Health). He passed away in 1924.

The work we have included in our study, Dr. Ahmed Nureddin Bey’s ‘Report Presented to the City Council of Istanbul on Health Matters in the Capital,’ was published in Istanbul in 1914. We consider this report valuable in terms of content, as it is based on Dr. Ahmed Nureddin Bey's observations and investigations during his travels in Europe. Our study aims to provide information about Dr. Ahmed Nureddin Bey's biography and, within the framework of the report, to present his thoughts on the current state of health affairs and health institutions in Istanbul, their shortcomings, and what needs to be done about them. The primary sources for our study are documents obtained from various classifications of the Ottoman Archives and Dr. Ahmed Nureddin Bey's report. In addition, research related to our subject has been utilized.