[OTTOMAN WAR SURGEONS].

Abstract

In medical literature, the subject of surgeons in Ottoman Medical has been examined in the parallel of the modernization of 19th century medical education. Also it has be- gun in 14 March 1827 by the opening of Military Medical Doctors and Surgery Schools which had been established in the era of Mahmut 2nd. However as all of the Turkish States through history, Ottoman Turkish State had a conquerist structure with a very strong army from the beginning of its foundation and kept this condition through time. The person who was interested in the wounds (caused by the weapons of war as a consequence of the war) of the soldiers, such as loss of limbs, broken body parts etc., was a medical doctor in the first place but especially with a surgeon. In the Ehl-i Hiref Notebooks which is dated oldest as h.932 Rebid'l,ahir/ m.Ocak 1526, surgeons can be detected in the Ottoman Turkish Battle Armies. The records of the surgeons can be found as in the name of "Cemaat-i Cerrahin" (means community of surgeons) in a list of craftsman. In the surgeons list of Ehl-i Hiref Notebooks, it can be learned the features of janni- sary surgeons as much as the features of master surgeons, surgeons of ointments and also the education system between master and apprentice.