[MULTIPLE FIRSTS: THE FIRST JOURNAL / THE FIRST MEDICAL JOURNAL IN TURKISH LITERATURE] وقایع طبیه / Vakâyi’-i tıbbiye. [i.e., Medical events]. Sermuharriri: Mehmed Fahri. AH 3 Nisan 1296 - 3 Kanûnisânî 1298 [1880 - 1882 CE]. Nos: 3-72. 70 issues (of 266)

FAHRI, MEHMED (Chief editor).

Mekteb-i Tıbbiyye-i Mülkiye-i Sahane Matbaasi, İstanbul, 1296-1298 = [1880-1882 CE].

COMPLETE TITLE: [MULTIPLE FIRSTS: THE FIRST JOURNAL / THE FIRST MEDICAL JOURNAL IN TURKISH LITERATURE] وقایع طبیه / Vakâyi’-i tıbbiye. Onbes günde bir nesrolunur tib gazetesidir. Ulûm-i hikemiyye ve fünûn-i tibbiyye ve cerrahiyye ve vilâdiyye ve ispençiyâriyyeden bahseder. [i.e., Medical events]. Sermuharriri: Mehmed Fahri. AH 3 Nisan 1296 - 3 Kanûnisânî 1298 [1880 - 1882 CE]. Nos: 3-72. 70 issues (of 266).

Modern black cloth bdg. Gilt title on spine and the front board. Blind-tooled decorations on the board. 4to. (29 x 21 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters. Each issue 8 p., b/w ills. Scattered light stains and foxing on some pages, as mailed to subscribers with centre folds. Overall, a very good collection.

An exceptionally rare collection comprising 70 issues (of 266) published between 15 April 1880 and 15 November 1882 of Vakayi-i Tıbbiye, the first Ottoman medical journal and the first periodical published in Turkish (Simsek; Çeviker; Tonta et al.; Karakasli; Dereköy).

This historically significant and groundbreaking publication traces its origins to the Ottoman Imperial School of Medicine (Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Şahane) in Istanbul, where its inaugural issue appeared on 25 March 1849. Under the leadership of Chief Physician Abdülhak Molla, Vakayi-i Tıbbiye marked the dawn of scientific periodicals in Turkey, remaining in circulation for two years and ten months in its first period.

Medical historians document that Vakayi-i Tıbbiye was published in two distinct phases. The initial publication period (1849-1854) saw the release of 21 issues before the publication ceased operations due to administrative and financial constraints. Notably, these early issues were distributed through non-Muslim pharmacies across Istanbul. The present collection features 70 rare consecutive issues from the journal's second publication era (1880-1897), representing a significant portion of this historically important later period. This second phase marked the journal's revival and its most sustained period of continuous publication.

The journal's first period, printed in lithographic ta'liq script, holds particular significance for its pioneering role in Turkifying medical terminology, a deliberate intellectual stance against the prevailing French-language educational tradition of the period. This approach persisted for the journal's entire run.

On 30 April 1882, a circular issued by the Ottoman Ministry of the Interior to provincial governors emphasized the need for improvements to Vakayi-i Tıbbiye, the medical journal published under that title by the Civilian Medical School (Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Mülkiye) since 1880. The directive stated that elevating the journal to European standards required three actions: incorporating it into the “Haberân-i Fenn” [i.e., Scientific News] editorial board, mandating physicians to submit monthly reports of medical cases encountered in their practice, and requiring them to contribute written descriptions of their local topography. The journal was distributed by Sarafim Efendi, manager of the Okçularbaşı Reading Room in Istanbul’s Bayezid district. This establishment (active 1857-1920s), named after its Armenian-origin proprietor, operated as a sober intellectual hub where Ottoman scholars gathered, functioning more like a public library than a typical café, with extensive periodicals available for consultation.

The second period of Vakayi-i Tıbbiye was printed in letterpress, formatted in two columns on yellow-colored paper, with each 8-page issue continuing the sequential numbering of the previous ones. Subscription to the journal was mandatory for all municipal physicians and veterinarians throughout the Ottoman territories, while pharmacists and surgeons were exempt from this requirement. Notably, pharmacists in the Hejaz and Harameyn provinces were not charged subscription fees. Another distinctive feature was that civil physicians and veterinarians paid only half the subscription rate (20 kurush) and were exempt from postage fees.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE CONTENT:

“The journal's articles contain numerous pioneering contributions to Turkish medical literature of the late Ottoman period. A significant portion consists of translated selections from leading French, German, and English medical journals, providing Ottoman physicians with direct access to contemporary European medical knowledge. Our research reveals that Ottoman practitioners creatively synthesized these foreign publications with case studies from their own clinical experiences. The articles employ a formal academic style, frequently citing European medical luminaries, referred to honorifically as "Monsieur", including Lister, Pasteur, Könnig, and Kussmaul. These case discussions mirror modern clinical reports in both structure and substance, bearing resemblance to contemporaneous journals like The British Medical Journal in their physical layout and scholarly approach. A key distinction emerges in content origins: while European journals primarily featured original research by their national medical communities, the Ottoman publication uniquely blended translated knowledge with locally observed medical cases, creating a distinctive intellectual synthesis characteristic of medicine's globalization during this era.

One notable article features a translation from the most recent issue of a French medical journal, examining treatments for tetanus, specifically analysing the therapeutic effects of both tetanus serum and Pasteur serum. The inclusion of this cutting-edge research, along with explicit citations of Louis Pasteur (1822–1895), demonstrates the journal’s role in rapidly disseminating European medical advances. This is further corroborated by contemporary commercial evidence, particularly the licensed production and sale of Kina Kalmiyan syrup (a quinine-based formulation) in Ottoman markets. Together, these elements confirm that Ottoman physicians were not merely observing but actively implementing current therapeutic innovations, reflecting a deliberate integration of Western medical knowledge into local practice.

The 1897 issue of Vakayi-i Tıbbiye featured a significant report by the scientific commission led by Professor Robert Koch (1843-1910), the pioneering microbiologist who first identified the tuberculosis bacillus. This landmark publication documented the commission’s findings on combating the plague bacillus (Yersinia pestis) during their epidemiological investigations in British India. The inclusion of Koch’s research demonstrates the journal’s commitment to disseminating cutting-edge international medical discoveries, particularly those with direct relevance to public health crises affecting Ottoman territories.

The journal includes discussions on the disinfection methods introduced by the British physician Joseph Lister (1827-1912), who established the concept of sepsis and antisepsis in medical history and pioneered the use of antiseptics (germicides). It is evident that the concept of sepsis-antisepsis, introduced to the medical world by Lister, was well known to Ottoman physicians, who practiced contemporary medicine by utilizing antiseptic solutions containing boron, chlorine, and acids. In a translated article addressing the causes of stomach disorders and the composition of gastric secretions, interpretations can be found that point toward what are now known as psychosomatic illnesses.

In addition to articles indicating the emergence of experimental studies conducted on animals such as mice, guinea pigs, and monkeys in Europe, the journal also featured writings under the heading of "medical topography" that focused on epidemiological and socio-cultural investigations carried out in cities like Burdur and Manastir. Some pharmaceutical formulas within these articles employed measurements such as grams, centigrams, and cubic centimetres, which serve as evidence of the adaptation of modern metric units into Ottoman medical literature.

Including Latin-derived medical terms still in use today, such as hypnotism, lethargy, physiology, and influenza, demonstrates that physicians in the Ottoman Empire were well-acquainted with contemporary medical terminology.” (Source: Dereköy: Vakayi-i Tıbbiye Dergisinin 1884/100, 1897/24, 1897/5, 1897/12 ve 1897/13 Sayılarının Değerlendirilmesi).

Duman 2335.; As of May 2025, we couldn’t trace any copies in the OCLC.; Çeviker, 6 p.; Dereköy (PhD Thesis).