[PLAGUE AND EPIDEMIC DISEASES IN OCCUPIED ISTANBUL (1919-1922)] Bulletin de l'Administration Sanitaire des Frontieres. Paraissant le 5 et 20 de chaque mois. No. 15. 5 Mai 1922.

SAID (Owner).

Administration Sanitaire des Frontières, Galata - Constantinople, 1922.

Original staple-stitched wrappers. 4to. (27 x 20 cm). In French. 315-333 pp. A very good copy.

A rare single issue (of 24) of the French-language bulletin, which was published by the Ottoman Sanitary Administration of the Frontiers.

During the Allied occupation of Istanbul (1918-1923), and particularly in 1922, the city experienced widespread communicable diseases due to the cumulative effects of war, mass migration, poverty, overcrowding, and severe deficiencies in sanitation and public health infrastructure.

The bulletin published during the period of Occupation documents statistical data relating to the plague, including:

Typhus was among the most severe and feared diseases, spreading rapidly via lice, especially in military barracks, refugee populations, prisons, and impoverished neighbourhoods. Cholera re-emerged periodically, particularly in port districts, along the Golden Horn, and in areas with contaminated water supplies. Istanbul's status as a major maritime hub increased its vulnerability to cholera outbreaks amid weakened quarantine controls. Smallpox (Variola) persisted despite the availability of vaccination, largely due to irregular immunization campaigns and population movements. It was a significant cause of infant and child mortality. Tuberculosis (Consumption) was one of the leading chronic causes of death, exacerbated by malnutrition, overcrowded housing, and poor living conditions. Malaria was prevalent, particularly in districts near marshlands and among migrant populations arriving from Anatolia. Typhoid Fever and Dysentery were widespread as a result of unsafe drinking water and inadequate sewage systems, with seasonal increases during the summer months. Influenza continued to appear in recurrent waves following the 1918-1919 pandemic, remaining dangerous for children, the elderly, and the debilitated. Syphilis was also frequently reported, linked to wartime social disruption, military mobility, and port-city conditions.

Although institutional copies are common, it is rare on the market (OCLC no 1040769285 & 4669214798).