The "Modern Doctor" in the Late Ottoman Empire: Dr. Ibrahim of the Hamidiye Etfal Hospital

This thesis investigates Dr. İbrahim Bey (1861-1923?), the founding chief physician of the Hamidiye Etfal Hospital and a private physician of Sultan Abdülhamid II (r. 1876-1909; d.1918), a prominent figure often overlooked in Ottoman medical history. The thesis focuses on Dr. İbrahim Bey's previously untranslated diaries (up-to 1910), articles in journals and the relevant archival documents to illustrate his career trajectory, which includes periods of challenge and opportunity. There are three main aims of this research. Firstly, it explores the strategies used by a professional doctor to secure his position in the medical market and influence the medical and political authorities. Dr. İbrahim Bey achieves positions in his career by advertising his expertise, publications, and medical reports. Secondly, it aims to illustrate Dr. İbrahim Bey's articles on history of medicine and how these articles further influenced the writing history of medicine in Turkey. Thirdly, by investigating the era's intellectual mindsets and Dr. İbrahim Bey's case, this research explores what was the concept of "modern doctor" in the late Ottoman Empire.