The development of medicine and treatment methods in Medieval Anatolia (4th–15th centuries)

The Middle Ages cover a period in Western history that lasted approximately from the 5th century to the 15th century. This period generally begins with the collapse of Ancient Rome and ends with the transition to the Renaissance. This period is considered to be a period in which social and cultural structures in the West underwent major changes, scientific developments were limited, and religious beliefs mostly dominated. However, the Middle Ages also represent a transition period in which rich cultural interactions occurred not only in the Western world, but also in different geographies such as Anatolia, and different civilizations combined their knowledge. Anatolia is a geography shaped by the influence of great civilizations such as Byzantium, Seljuk, Beyliks and Ottomans, and the medical heritages of these different civilizations have integrated and affected the region's understanding of health and treatment methods. In this thesis, the medical practices of the Byzantine and Turkish states that came to Anatolia after the 11th century have 12 been investigated in detail. It is noted that medical treatment methods were shaped within both a scientific and spiritual framework, and that public health measures and quarantine practices were of great importance in both societies. While Byzantium continued ancient Greek medicine, the Turks in Anatolia developed their medical knowledge and treatment methods by benefiting from both the Islamic world and Byzantium's medical knowledge. In both societies, diseases were generally associated with body imbalances and especially with the imbalance of body fluids, and treatment methods were integrated with religious rituals. Both the Byzantines and the Turks in Anatolia developed their treatment methods accordingly by considering diseases not only as physical conditions but also in a spiritual and moral context. This thesis aims to provide an important source on the medical history of medieval Anatolia.