Healing in Words

Medicine, History and Healing Practices in the Late Ottoman Empire

Abstract

In the 19th century, as multicultural empires disintegrated and nation-state consciousness emerged, the Ottoman Empire embarked on a path of Westernization while Europe grappled with new uprisings. Following the 1848 uprisings, defeated Hungarian and Polish soldiers who had rebelled against the Habsburgs fled to the Ottoman Empire. As one of the soldiers, Adolf Farkas converted to Islam and began a new life in Istanbul. His daughter, Nigâr Hanım became a renowned poet and kept a diary for nearly 30 years, documenting daily life in Istanbul and shedding light on new legislation, particularly in medical history.