The Influence of Abdulhamid II’s Relationship with Pasteur and the Pasteur Institute on Ottoman Medicine

Abstract

Abdülhamid II’s interest in medicine and health initiated relations with Louis Pasteur. The scientific contacts and achievements established on this axis were turned into a policy by order of the sultan. The interaction between Abdülhamid II and Pasteur, which started in the last quarter of the 19th century, can be said to have created an infrastructure for the current scientifically based health policies in terms of public health and preventive medicine practices that have continued from the Ottoman Empire to the present day. The process initiated by Abdülhamid II, in line with his relations with Pasteur and the Pasteur Institute, paved the way for a more effective fight against other infectious diseases such as rabies, anthrax, smallpox, and diphtheria. In this study, Abdülhamid II’s relations with Pasteur and the Pasteur Institute, which formed the basis of modern public health policies, were evaluated in the light of archival documents, printed works, periodicals, statistical reports, and copyrighted works. The study was conducted using the survey model and document analysis method