This presentation is an analysis of the “islamic” reaction verbalized byMalkom Khan, Iraniandiplomatin Istanbul, in face of the cholera epidemicof1865, asreflected in the contemporary Ottoman press. In this year, a choleraepidemicbelievedto have spread from Hijaz duringthepilgrimage season, ragedthrough major Ottoman citiesand reached Europe. The presumption wasthattheepidemichad reached the Mediterranean from the ports of Egypt, and Europeanstatesdemanded thatthe pilgrimage (Hajj) of the next year should be curtailed. Sanctions by the Egyptians and Ottoman authorities were deemed to beineffective. The Ottoman governmentaccepted the French request in December1865 for the commencement of an international sanitary conference on thecondition that it be held in Istanbul. The muslim view was presented by theOttoman andIraniandelegatesin the conference which opened in January 1866and continued for nine months. The Ottoman representativeswere Ali Pasha, theForeign Minister, Dr. Salih Efendi, Deputy Minister for the School of Medicine, and Dr. Bartoletti; Egypt was represented by Dr. Lautner, andIran by MirzaMalkom Khan (18331908), consultantintheIranianembassy in Istanbul, whowasaccompanied by two physicians.The French governmentdemandedstricttravelrestrictionson the RedSea, because thismaritime line wasseenasthecause of disseminationof the disease. The alternative proposed wasthatthe pilgrimsreturn either by the camel caravanroute over the desertor thatthe vesselsfrom Jeddah disembark ata distantportwhere the passengerswere to be quarantined.Mirza Malkom Khan delivered a long argument against the Frenchdemand, which wassupported by Dr. Bartoletti, one of the Ottoman delagatesatthe conference. Malkom Khan explained that the pilgrims would perish in thedesert journey, and expressed his support to a second plan conceived by theOttoman delegation, which accepted the enforcement of the quarantine and theprotection of the pilgrimsagainst mistreatment.
This presentation is an analysis of the “islamic” reaction verbalized by Malkom Khan, Iraniandiplomatin Istanbul, in face of the cholera epidemicof 1865, asreflected in the contemporary Ottoman press. In this year, a cholera epidemicbelievedto have spread from Hijaz duringthepilgrimage season, raged through major Ottoman citiesand reached Europe. The presumption wasthatthe epidemichad reached the Mediterranean from the ports of Egypt, and European statesdemanded thatthe pilgrimage (Hajj) of the next year should be curtailed. Sanctions by the Egyptians and Ottoman authorities were deemed to be ineffective. The Ottoman governmentaccepted the French request in December 1865 for the commencement of an international sanitary conference on the condition that it be held in Istanbul. The muslim view was presented by the Ottoman andIraniandelegatesin the conference which opened in January 1866 and continued for nine months. The Ottoman representativeswere Ali Pasha, the Foreign Minister, Dr. Salih Efendi, Deputy Minister for the School of Medicine, and Dr. Bartoletti; Egypt was represented by Dr. Lautner, andIran by Mirza Malkom Khan (18331908), consultantintheIranianembassy in Istanbul, who wasaccompanied by two physicians.The French governmentdemandedstricttravelrestrictionson the RedSea, because thismaritime line wasseenasthecause of disseminationof the disease. The alternative proposed wasthatthe pilgrimsreturn either by the camel caravan route over the desertor thatthe vesselsfrom Jeddah disembark ata distantport where the passengerswere to be quarantined.Mirza Malkom Khan delivered a long argument against the French demand, which wassupported by Dr. Bartoletti, one of the Ottoman delagatesat the conference. Malkom Khan explained that the pilgrims would perish in the desert journey, and expressed his support to a second plan conceived by the Ottoman delegation, which accepted the enforcement of the quarantine and the protection of the pilgrimsagainst mistreatment.