KARANTİNA, TİCARET VE EGEMENLİK: MECLİS-İ UMÛR-I SIHHİYE’DE YETKİ MÜCADELESİ (1838-1909)
QUARANTINE, TRADE, AND SOVEREIGNTY: THE STRUGGLE FOR AUTHORITY IN THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF HEALTH (1838-1909)

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the institutional structure, spheres of authority, and the bureaucratic and diplomatic disputes that emerged in the decision-making processes of the Supreme Council of Health (Meclis-i Umur-ı Sıhhiye / Conseil supérieur de Santé de l'Empire Ottoman), established in the Ottoman Empire on 19 April 1838 to combat epidemic diseases. The study centers on the following question: Through what institutional mechanisms did the council's multi-actor representative structure and majority voting principle constrain Ottoman administrative sovereignty? Quarantine practices were intended to be administered under a centralized authority. However, the inclusion of foreign state representatives endowed the decision-making mechanism with an international character. The adoption of the regulation dated 31 May 1840 defined the council's organization and powers. Yet majority voting gradually produced a numerical balance in favor of foreign representatives. The study addresses authority struggles in critical areas such as the appointment and dismissal of quarantine officials and the management of public health revenues, drawing on Ottoman archival documents. These dynamics rendered Ottoman administrative sovereignty increasingly contested. Sultan Abdülhamid II undertook initiatives to alter the balance within the council in favor of the Ottoman state. These interventions, however, failed to produce lasting results due to resistance from foreign representatives. The 1909 Paris Sanitary Conference demonstrates that disputes within the council were transferred to international platforms, thereby expanding opportunities for external intervention.

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