SÜLEYMAN!YE TIP MEDKESESİ - 1

The establish meni of Süleyman iye Medical Medrese in 1556 İs considered to he a new stage in the history of Ottoman medical education. Prior to its foundation within the Siileymaniye complex tkliİİiye). the Ottoman physicians were trained the hospitals (dârüşşijâ). The need to establish a medical medrese was mainly due to the insufficient number of doctors in Ottoman health institutions. We know that Bursa Yıldırım Bayezid Hospital, which is the first Ottoman hospital known, recruited a doctor from the Memluklds and he was assigned chief-physician {hekimbaşı). Mehmed the Conqueror appointed Persian doctors us his consultant physicians and Süleyman the Magnificent nominated Musa h. Hamuli as his private physician. Later on. physicians from other countries were recruited and employed in high posts. Sultans' imperial edicts {ferman) preventing incapable and unqualified physicians from medical practice points also to the need of competent medical staff. Sixteenth century writers and historians such as Küçük Hasan-Beyzade Ahmed Paşa (d. Ifi36) and ihc Ottoman geographer and cosmographer Aşık Mehmed (d. afıer UKJ6/1598). drawed attention to the educational function of Süleymaniyc Medical Medrese. These references all seem 10 be in harmony with the explanation "...v* itm-i nbb için bina olunan medrese-i layyibe.." in the trust deed of SUlcymaniye complex. On the other hand, historian Ahmed Cevdet Paşa (1882-1895) mentions its military character staling that Siileymaniye Medical Medrese was founded to meet the need of the Ottoman army. The twentieth century-historian Tayyip Gokbilgin and historian Dr. Osman Şevki [Uludağ] (1889-1964) agrees with Cevdet Paşa »hile Süheyl On ver considers this medical medrese to be a second university complex and the core of modern Turkish medical faculties, staling that this medrese perpetuated its function of training civilian doctors even when military medical schools Tihhane and Cerrahhane opened in 1827.