Fighting against disease in the early Republican: Malaria, trachoma, syphilis and tuberculosis (1923-1950)

With the establishment of nation states, efforts to protect public health have been regarded as one of the important duties that states must fulfill. The studies to protect public health is reflected in the process of the Republic of Turkey in the fight against epidemics and contagious diseases and it has been shaped over epidemics. In this thesis, epidemics and infectious diseases like malaria, trachoma, syphilis and tuberculosis were handed by the Republic of Turkey between 1923 and 1950 and the fight against these diseases have been made on how to shape the evaluation of public health policies. In the thesis consists health care organizations, public health studies, preventive and curative health services which were inherited from Ottoman Empire to the Republic of Turkey are examined in historical process and are tried to be given in a historical integrity. The changes in the health system of the Ottoman Empire and why these changes were needed were evaluated and the Republic of Turkey's efforts to be made for the protection of public health between the years 1923-1950 are examined enactment activities for the development of preventive and curative health services and for what purposes the Republic of Turkey shaped the process which aims to fight diseases. Appearing on the stage of history, the ways of infection and the common locations where epidemic diseases in Turkey of epidemics and infectious diseases like malaria, trachoma, syphilis and tuberculosis which were seen as a social disaster were examined. Furthermore, the society profile affected by epidemics were tried to evaluate by exploring living conditions, socio-economic status, culture and education levels which help diseases become epidemics. Treatment methods of malaria, trachoma, syphilis and tuberculosis diseases, epidemiological characteristics of diseases, propaganda activities to raise the level of public health and the effects of the country's economic, social, cultural and demographic structure on the process of struggle were analyzed by taking into account the archive sources and the minutes of the assembly.