Epidemics have threatened the human being for several times. Epidemics have much more effect than the natural disasters as eathquake, fire, scarcity and climate change for the centuries and has caused the death of millions of people in a little while. Many illnesses like cholera, plague, typhoid, variola, syphilis, the flu have left many scars on the memories of humanbeings. Ottoman Empire has been exposed to these diseases occured in different time periods.
Important progresses fort he epidemics in health were seen in Ottoman in nineteenth century. Great imortance had been given to the public health country-wide. A new medicine school was opened in 1827 and The Ministry of Health (Tıbbiye Nezareti) was established in 1839. The number of the doctors was enregistered in 1861. Civil medicine school was opened in 1866 and in 1871 doctors are sent to the provinces.
Municipalities except İstanbul had been established since after 1860. Health Works in Ottoman were taken on different dimension with the help of the establishment of provinces in the second half of 19th Century. Doctors, midwives, immunisation officers and pharmacists were employed in Municipalities. These personnels had worked actively.
In this study, the examples of the services of Ottoman Empire epidemics were given rather than how the epidemics emerged or epidemics’ effects on people. At this point services as Medicine personnels’ employment of Municipalities, buying of medicine devices and the feding of poors were seen. Basic materials of this study has formed the documents taken from Ottoman Archive. In the meantime thesis and studies about epidemics were benefited.
Ottoman Empire changed its health activities, that had maintained by doctors and foundations since Classical Age ,systematically after 19th Century.The state opened Medicine Schools to educate doctors cause it gave much more importance to the public health.Thus giving health servives was tthought to the remote corner of the country.The most important development was to establish the municipalities out of İstanbul. The employment of the doctors of country to the constitution of municipalities as a consultant member with regulations and laws had indicated that municipalities had an active role in health services.Opening pharmacies in constitution of municipalities was an important grade at establishing health organisation. Besides employment of the health personnels asdoctor,midwife,pharmacist and vaccine officer indicated that approaching solution-oriented to the public’s health.Also salaries of these health personnels supplied by the municipalities’ budget. This saved the state from material tax.
The Municipalities gave big services in struggling with epidemics in provinces of Ottoman.Especially the employment of health personnels was the main of the struggling with epidemics.Also when the health personnel weren’t sufficient in epidemic situations,the municipalities employed new staff.Cleaning the city was taken care.On the other hand municipalities supported the buying of incubator and pulverizator machines-useful for preventing epidemics.All of these services were closely associated with the budget of municipalities. The municipalities with insufficient budget sometimes terminated the health staff,sometimes couldn’t meet the food supplies of the unemployed people and requested for help from Finance Ministry. Municipalities with sufficient budget helped the people affected from epidemic to meet food supplies.Briefly municipalities endeavoured with their health and cleaning stuff and machines for because the public continued a healthy life in epidemic period.
Salgın hastalıklar, tarihin çeşitli zamanlarından beri insanlığı tehdit etmiştir. Yüzyıllardır deprem, yangın, kıtlık ve iklim değişikliği gibi doğal afetlerden daha fazla etkiye sahip olan salgın hastalıklar, birkaç hafta veya yıl içinde milyonları bulacak boyutta insanların ölümüne neden olmuştur. Kolera, veba, tifo, çiçek, frengi ve grip gibi pek çok türdeki hastalık önlem alınmadığı surette salgın haline dönüşerek insanlık hafızasında derin izler bırakmıştır. Farklı zaman dilimlerinde çeşitli ülkelerde ortaya çıkan salgın hastalıklara, geniş toprak parçasına sahip olan Osmanlı Devleti de maruz kalmıştır.
XIX. yüzyılda Osmanlı Devleti’nde salgın hastalıklara karşı sağlık alanında ciddi atılımların yapıldığı görülmüştür. Ülke genelinde halk sağlığına önem verilmiştir. 1827 yılında yeni tıp okulu açılmış, 1839 yılında da Tıbbiye Nezareti kurulmuştur. 1861 yılında ülkede hekim sayısı kayıt altına alınmaya çalışılmıştır. 1866 yılında sivil tıp okulu açılmış ve 1871 yılında taşra vilayetlerine hekim gönderilmeye başlanmıştır.
Osmanlı Devleti’nde İstanbul dışında belediyeler 1860’lı yıllardan itibaren kurulmaya başlamıştır. Taşra belediyelerinin kurulmasıyla birlikte Osmanlı Devleti’nde sağlık işleri XIX. yüzyılın ikinci yarısında farklı bir boyut kazanmıştır. Belediye bünyesinde doktor, ebe, aşı memuru ve eczacı gibi sağlık personeli görevlendirilmiştir. Salgın hastalıklarla mücadelede belediye personelleri aktif olarak hizmet etmişlerdir.
Bu çalışmada, salgın hastalıkların ne şekilde ortaya çıktığı veya bundan halkın nasıl etkilendiğinden ziyade Osmanlı taşra belediyelerinin salgın hastalıklardaki hizmetlerinden örnekler verilmiştir. Bu noktada belediyelerin sağlık personeli istihdamı, salgınların önlenmesinde faydası görülen sağlık cihazlarının satın alınması, fakirlerin doyurulması gibi hizmetleri tespit edilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın temel materyallerini Osmanlı Arşivi’nden temin edilen belgeler oluşturmaktadır. Bununla birlikte salgın hastalıklar hakkında yapılan tez çalışmalarından ve tetkik eserlerden de istifade edilmiştir.
Primary Language | Turkish |
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Journal Section | Research Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | February 27, 2021 |
Submission Date | January 17, 2021 |
Published in Issue | Year 2021 Volume: 3 |