Epidemic in Erzincan Sanjak (1885-1914)

Mankind has been under the influence of many epidemics throughout its history when it lived in communities. Epidemics have deeply affected people, states, and societies in terms of their effects and results from past to present. The Ottoman Empire has also been exposed to epidemics in almost every period of history due to its geographical location. In the Ottoman Empire, which faced epidemics in the historical process, especially the 19. century has been a troubled period in terms of diseases. In this period, one of the places where epidemic diseases were seen in the Ottoman geography was Erzincan Sanjak. While the epidemics seen in the Erzincan Sanjak were sometimes limited to a few cases, sometimes they took the form of large epidemics and caused loss of lives. In the region against epidemics, quarantines were established, cordon method was applied, doctors and pharmacists were appointed within the possibilities, and some measures were taken by trying to raise public awareness with regulations. These practices, which were put into operation throughout the Ottoman Empire, continued in a similar way in the Erzincan District.