Osmanlı Devleti’nden Erken Türkiye Cumhuriyeti’ne İstanbul’da Kızıl Hastalığı Üzerine Bir İnceleme (1880- 1930)
A Study on Scarlet Fever in İstanbul in the Ottoman Empire and the Early Turkish Republic (1880-1930)

Summary/Abstract: Scarlet fever is a contagious disease that has undergone significant developments in its definition and treatment in the last few centuries. Scarlet fever, which was determined to have reached epidemic outbreak status in the early 17th century, has become quite widespread in the global population over time, with high mortality rates. No studies have been found in the literature on the prevalence of scarlet fever in Istanbul, and no archive documents have been investigated on this subject. The study attempts to answer how scarlet fever affected the Ottoman and early Turkish Republic societies in Istanbul, the prevalence of scarlet fever, and the measures taken to control the disease. A comprehensive literature study was conducted. Afterwards, an archive search was conducted in the Ottoman and Republican Archives between 1880 and 1930 on scarlet fever in Istanbul. Because of the search, 70 documents were identified from the Ottoman Archives and 10 from the Republican Archives. The documents examined determined that scarlet fever was widespread in many residential areas and schools in Istanbul. The number of scarlet fever cases identified in Istanbul in the Ottoman Empire was 350, of which 39 (11.1%) died. The number of cases of scarlet fever in the Republic of Turkey was determined to be eight, and one of them lost their life. It was determined that scarlet fever quickly turned into an epidemic, especially in places where children were present, such as schools, and that deaths were common in children. It was determined that the first precaution in protecting against epidemic diseases in the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey was to comply with hygiene and disinfection procedures in schools, workplaces, homes, and all areas of life. During the disease, the patient was prevented from contacting other individuals and isolation was applied, and the spread of the disease was tried to be prevented.

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