Doctors and Soldiers: Medical Observations from the Front in the Ottoman-Serbian War (1876–1877)
Turkish Historical Review, 2026 (AHCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1163/18775462-bja10100
- Dergi Adı: Turkish Historical Review
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Scopus, Index Islamicus, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: British National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War, humanitarianism, medical modernization, Ottoman military medicine, Ottoman–Serbian War (1876–1877), volunteer doctors
- Hacettepe Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This article examines the operation of Ottoman military medicine during the Ottoman–Serbian War of 1876–1877 through the observations of British volunteer doctors and humanitarian aid organizations active in the conflict zone. Drawing on a systematic analysis of field reports and correspondence published in the British Medical Journal, plus archival materials produced by the British National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War, this study reconstructs medical conditions on the frontlines and in the hinterland. In addition to British medical and humanitarian sources, the study draws on documents from the Ottoman Imperial Archives and military records originating from the Ottoman and later Turkish Ministry of National Defence, consulted in the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye collections held by the Directorate of State Archives. These materials include official correspondence, reports, and administrative records relating to military hospitals, medical personnel, and the evacuation of the wounded during the Ottoman–Serbian War. The article argues that the war in question served as a testing ground for both the capacities and limits of Ottoman military medical organization. British medical observers recorded the operation of mobile hospitals, the treatment of firearm wounds, and efforts at disease prevention, while also drawing attention to persistent shortcomings in ventilation, transport, and supplies. Placed within wider 19th-century developments in war medicine, these observations highlight the role of medical care in preserving manpower and show how humanitarian practice and medical neutrality functioned within specific wartime constraints.