A research on folkloric veterinary medicine and animal husbandry in adana province

In this thesis, folkloric veterinary medicine practices prevalent in Adana folk culture, including the techniques employed, the utilization of herbal, animal, and mineral medicinal raw materials, and the contributions they will make to Turkish culture and the development of modern veterinary medicine, were investigated. Studies conducted in the region on folk culture and folk medicine were investigated, and insufficient information was found on veterinary medicine folklore and animal husbandry. Following this study conducted in Adana, the aim was to collect valuable folkloric information within the scope of Turkish folk culture, folkloric veterinary medicine, and animal husbandry, and to contribute to the literature. In the study, data were collected using the field research method through an information collection form consisting of 53 questions. Folklore related to veterinary medicine, beliefs related to animals, and oral data related to animal husbandry were collected from informants; visual data related to folkloric materials were recorded using digital imaging methods. In the study, interviews were conducted with a total of 353 informants, including 61 individuals from five central districts, 50 from 10 surrounding district centers, and 277 from five randomly selected villages in each district. It was found that diseases have region-specific names, and cauterization is applied in the treatment of mouth and esophagus diseases, warts on the udders, difficulty urinating actinomycosis, and similar mouth sores. In diseases related to the extremities, horn deformities, and the mother's adaptation to the calf, as well as in conditions such as white muscle disease, treatment of parasitic diseases, and certain poultry diseases. It was determined that the treatment methods and herbal drugs used differed from those in other studies. It was found that the names mantara gicimik, doğucu for tetanus, and dilcik for swellings caused by actinomycosis were specific to the region. Regarding animal products, beekeeping felt making, bişek, tuluk, hızman, and kavlak production, tort and teleme cheeses, Adana kebab, and other animal-based foods, as well as items like bell tongues and tapan knives made from horns, black tents, and saddles made from goat hair for their animals (though not as much as before), rugs, beds, bags, or shepherd's felt; folk sayings such as jokes, riddles, proverbs, and idioms; rituals using animals for drought, and folkloric practices such as henna ceremonies can be said to be folkloric practices unique to the province and districts of Adana. In conclusion, this study is the most comprehensive study on veterinary folklore and folkloric animal husbandry in the province of Adana and its districts. While it shows significant parallels with previous folkloric veterinary studies conducted in Anatolia, the practices carried out are rational but generally have religious-magical and empirical characteristics. It can also be argued that the region-specific rich information contributes to cultural heritage and should be preserved in the future.