Türkiye'de sosyal jinekoloji ve aile planlamasının öncülerinden Ord. Prof. Naşid Erez (1899-1981)

Özet: Türk jinekoloji tarihinin kilometre taşlarından Hüseyin Naşid Erez, 14 Haziran 1899 tarihinde İstanbul’da dünyaya gelmiştir. 1924 yılında Lozan Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi’nden mezun olduktan sonra Türkiye’ye dönmüş, ardından İstanbul Darülfünunu Tıp Fakültesi Kadın Doğum Kliniği asistanlığına tayin edilmiştir. 1942 yılında İstanbul Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi İkinci Kadın Doğum Kliniği’ni kurmuştur. 1944’te profesörlüğe, 1957’de ise ordinaryüs profesörlüğe yükseltilmiştir. 27 Mayıs 1960 askeri darbesinin ardından 146 öğretim üyesi ile birlikte üniversitedeki görevinden uzaklaştırılmıştır. İki yıl sonra çıkan yeni bir yasa sayesinde üniversitedeki görevine geri dönmüş ve 1969 yılında buradan emekli olmuştur. Naşid Erez, hocası ve dünyada sosyal jinekoloji alanının önderi sayılan Ord. Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Gustav Liepmann’ın (1878‒1939) izinden giderek Türkiye’de sosyal jinekoloji anlayışının tanınmasına önemli katkılarda bulunmuş; Türkiye’de aile planlaması ve doğum kontrolünün benimsenip yaygınlaşması için zemin hazırlamıştır. Ayrıca jinekoloji eğitiminde ve bilimsel toplantılarda tıbbi filmlerin kullanımına öncülük etmiştir. Tıp alanında, biri Almancadan tercüme olmak üzere dört kitabı ve 48 makalesi yayımlanan Naşid Erez, 21 Aralık 1981 tarihinde İstanbul’da hayatını kaybetmiştir.   

Anahtar kelimeler: aile planlaması, biyografi, jinekoloji, sosyal jinekoloji, tıp tarihi (20. yy) 

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A Pioneer of Social Gynecology and Family Planning in Turkey: Ord. Prof. Naşid Erez (1899-1981)

Abstract: Marking a milestone in the history of Turkish gynecology, Hüseyin Naşid Erez was born on 14 June 1899 in Istanbul. After graduating from the Lausanne University Faculty of Medicine in 1924, he returned to Turkey and soon was assigned as an assistant at the Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Erez founded the second Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the same university in 1942. He was promoted to professorship in 1944, then to ordinarius (senior) professorship in 1957. After the military coup of 27 May 1960, he was discharged from the university together with 146 other academics; after two years, however, he was restored to his previous workplace, from where he would retire in 1969. Following the footsteps of his tutor Ord. Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Gustav Liepmann (1878‒1939), one of the originators of the social gynecology approach in the world, Dr. Erez greatly contributed by promoting, implementing and generalizing this approach in Turkey. He paved the way for developing a national family planning program and promoting contraception practices in Turkey. He also pioneered using medical movies in gynecology education and at scientific meetings. In the field of medicine, he published three books and 48 articles, and translated a book from German. Dr. Naşid Erez died on 21 December 1981 in Istanbul.   Keywords: biography, family planning, gynecology, history of medicine (20th cent.), social gynecology

Keywords: biography, family planning, gynecology, history of medicine (20th cent.), social gynecology

Cite:  Tekiner, Halil. “Türkiye’de sosyal jinekoloji ve aile planlamasının öncülerinden Ord. Prof. Naşid Erez (1899-1981),” Nobel Medicus, 12(1), (2016): 106-109.

Link: http://web.a.ebscohost.com/abstract?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&jrnl=13052381&AN=115067019&h=uUWSK0G5LeiUIuNgR%2bFgDfPpz%2bycXawSnGoMKX0ph9zwpPlbKPoDePGAnLiIzbi3%2bkPYeozLnLUqYz0YxOrqDg%3d%3d&crl=c&resultNs=AdminWebAuth&resultLocal=ErrCrlNotAuth&crlhashurl=login.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26profile%3dehost%26scope%3dsite%26authtype%3dcrawler%26jrnl%3d13052381%26AN%3d115067019

Dr. İsa Ruhi Koray’ın İstiklal Harbi Hatıratı

Özet: 1895 yılında İstanbul’da doğan İsa Ruhi Koray, aile şeceresi Şeyh İsmail Sirâceddin Şirvânî (1782−1848) ve Sadrazam Şirvânîzâde Mehmed Rüşdi Paşa’ya (1828−1874) uzanan ünlü bir Türk ressam ve hekimidir. Birinci Cihan Harbi’nde hekim namzedi sıfatıyla Çanakkale ve Suriye Cephelerinde, İstiklâl Harbi’nde ise ihtiyat tabip yüzbaşı sıfatıyla önce Amasya çevresinde, ardından da Garp Cephesi’nde görev yapmış; savaşta gösterdiği fedakârlıklardan ötürü 1922’de İstiklâl Madalyası ile taltif edilmiştir. 1924’te iç hastalıkları uzmanlığını aldıktan sonra mesleğine sırasıyla Bursa, Tarsus, Giresun, Çankırı ve Isparta’da devam etmiştir. 1951 yılında emekli olduktan sonra ise Çankırı’ya yerleşerek bir muayenehane açmış ve 1965’te ölümüne değin bu şehirde yaşamıştır. Koray, İstiklâl Harbi yıllarına ait hatıralarını Anadolu’nun İstiklâl Harbindeki Hâtırâlarım ve Notlarım (36-37-338) başlığı altında bir deftere kaydetmiştir. Hatıratında, Pontus Harekâtı’nda önemli görevler üstlenmiş komutanlar Cemil Cahit Toydemir (1883−1956) ve Şefik Avni Özüdoğru’dan (1886−1960) bahsettiği gibi Pontus teşkilatından artakalan silahları toplamakla görevli taburla birlikte ziyaret ettiği Rum köylerinin durumu ve askerler arasında görülen uyuz salgını hakkında da bilgiler vermiştir. Eski yazı ile kaleme alınmış toplam 12 sayfa yazının yanı sıra yedi suluboya ve 20 karakalem resim taslağını içeren bu defter, bugün Koray’ın torunu Prof. Dr. Cemal Özgüven (d.1945) tarafından muhafaza edilmektedir. Bu makalede İsa Ruhi Koray’ın ilk kez gün ışığına çıkacak olan İstiklâl Harbi hatıratı, aynı defterde yer alan çeşitli resim taslaklarıyla birlikte tanıtılmakta ve hatıratın Türk tıp tarihi ve harp edebiyatı açısından önemi ele alınmaktadır.

Anahtar kelimeler: 20nci yüzyıl tıp tarihi, askeri tıp; hastalık salgınları; literatürde tıp; uyuz

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The Turkish War of Independence Memoirs of Dr. Isa Ruhi Koray 

Abstract: Isa Ruhi Koray, a famous Turkish painter and physician, was born in 1895 in Istanbul. He was from a notable family, descended from the Sheikh Ismail Siraceddin Sirvani (1782−1848) and the Ottoman grand vizier Sirvanizade Mehmed Rusdi Pascha (1828−1874). Isa Ruhi Koray joined the Gallipoli and the Syria fronts during World War I as a physician candidate, and as a lieutenant physician during the Turkish War of Independence, first in the Amasya region, and then on the Western front. For his exemplary service in the War of Independence, he was decorated with the Turkish Medal of Independence in 1922. He became an internal-disease specialist in 1924 and furthered his career as a hospital physician in Bursa, Tarsus, Giresun, Cankiri, and Isparta. After his retirement in 1951, he moved to Cankiri, where he ran a private medical office for many years until his death in 1965. Koray wrote his memories of the War of Independence into a notebook titled “My Memoirs and Notes on the War of Independence of Anatolia (1920-1922).” These notes discuss the Turkish commanders Cemil Cahit Toydemir (1883−1956) and Sefik Avni Ozudogru (1886−1960), who were assigned important roles in military operations against Pontus uprising in the Black Sea region; visiting Greek villages with his troop to search for weapons left by the Pontus militia; and a scabies outbreak among the soldiers. The notebook, which consists of 12 pages written in the Ottoman language, seven watercolor paintings and 20 charcoal sketches, currently belongs to the private collection of Professor Cemal Ozguven (b.1945), Koray’s grandson. This article aims to bring this memoir to light for the first time, as well as to discuss its importance in terms of Turkish history of medicine and war literature.

Keywords: 20th cent. history of medicine; disease outbreaks; medicine in literature; military medicine; scabies 

Cite: Tekiner, Halil. "Dr. İsa Ruhi Koray’ın İstiklal Harbi Hatıratı," Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Ethics-Law and History 2014;22(1):9-16.

Link: http://www.turkiyeklinikleri.com/article/en-dr-isa-ruhi-korayin-istiklal-harbi-hatirati-68397.html 

Endocrinology and art. King Ariarathes IV of Cappadocia: coins reveal enlarged thyroid (188 BC)

Abstract: King Ariarathes IV Eusebes (“The Pious”) ruled Cappadocia, a province of central Asia Minor (modern Turkey), between 220 and 163 BC. He supported his father-in-law Antiochus III, the King of Syria, in his war against the Romans. However, after the battle of Magnesia in 189 BC, he became an ally of the Romans. Ariarathes IV also moved the capital of his kingdom to Mazaca (modern-day Kayseri), founded on the outskirts of Mount Erciyes, a snow-capped volcano with an altitude of around 4000 m. On the obverse of the coins struck in Mazaca in the 33rd regnal year of Ariarathes IV, his diademed head with enlarged thyroid is represented. The reverse features his name (ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ APIAPAΘOY EYΣEBOYΣ) together with monograms and Athena holding Nike in her right hand. This might be one of the earliest artistic representations of goiter, presumably associated with endemic iodine deficiency which is especially common in mountainous area.

Keywords: Goiter, ancient history, medicine in art, numismatics, portraits as topic, thyroid gland, Turkey

Cite: Tekiner H, Erkiletlioglu H, Kelestimur F. Endocrinology and art. King Ariarathes IV of Cappadocia: coins reveal enlarged thyroid (188 BC). Journal of Endocrinological Investigation 2015;38(2):261-262, DOI: 10.1007/s40618-014-0208-0.

Link: https://www.academia.edu/21772258/King_Ariarathes_IV_of_Cappadocia_coins_reveal_enlarged_thyroid_188_BC_

Dr. Menahem Hodara (1869–1926) and his contributions to dermatology

Abstract: Dr. Menahem Hodara was one of the most remarkable dermatologists of the early 20th century, who achieved international acclaim for his dermatopathological studies. Following his graduation from the Ottoman Imperial Military Medical School in Istanbul in 1890, M. Hodara was appointed to the Central Marine Hospital in Istanbul as a navy lieutenant. Between 1893 and 1897, he studied at the Unna Clinic in Hamburg. M. Hodara’s many scientific achievements include reporting bacilli as a cause of comedo and acne, describing for the first time a kind of trichorrhexis nodosa that now bears his name (Hodara’s disease), succeeding in implanting hairs taken from patients in the scars left by favus, and so forth. This paper aims to present a biographical sketch of M. Hodara’s life and to outline his contributions to various topics in dermatology in light of some original documents, many of which were obtained from M. Hodara’s descendants. 

Key words: Biography, dermatology, dermatopathology, history of medicine

Cite: Tekiner, H. Dr. Menahem Hodara (1869–1926) and his contributions to dermatology. Int J Dermatol 2016;55(1):114-116, DOI: 10.1111/ijd.13103.

Link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijd.13103/full

Knowledge and attitudes of private health insurance company employees toward patient confidentiality: a preliminary study in Central Anatolia, Turkey

Abstract: Due to the rapid advances in information and communication technologies, particularly in the last two decades, electronic health records (EHRs) that include patients’ sensitive medical data in a digital format have become common in many countries, including Turkey. Despite EHRs’ great benefits, such as improving the quality of health care, easy accessibility, decreased costs, reduced adverse drug reactions and medical errors, scant attention has been paid to the ethical problems that might arise from the use of EHRs. This preliminary study aims to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of employees of private health insurance companies in Central Anatolia, Turkey, toward patient confidentiality. It also seeks to discuss the potential risk of health insurance companies’ breaches of confidentiality. Therefore a survey was conducted among 40 employees of the randomly sampled private health insurance companies that serve the cities of Ankara, Kayseri, and Konya. As a result, although 91.2% of the participants confirmed that they have never reached/shared their customer’s EHRs, 70.6% stated that EHRs should be accessible to health insurance companies. There is a statistically significant relationship between participants’ years of professional experience and their opinions on whether or not EHRs should be accessible to health insurance companies (p < 0.05). Among participants, 20.6% also stated that health insurance companies can by any means reach their clients’ private medical data via EHRs without the clients’ consent. In conclusion, there appears a potential risk of health insurance companies’ breaches of patient confidentiality, and new legal developments should be implemented immediately by the Turkish health authorities.

Key Words: Medical ethics; patient confidentiality; private health insurance; electronic health records; Turkey (Central Anatolia Region)

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Özel Sigorta İşletmesi Çalışanlarının, Hasta Mahremiyeti Konusundaki Bilgi Düzeyi ve Yaklaşımları: İç Anadolu Bölgesi’nde Bir Ön Araştırma - Özet: Bilgi ve iletişim teknolojilerinde özellikle son 20 yılda görülen hızlı ilerleme sayesinde hastalara ait özel tıbbi bilgiler Türkiye’nin de aralarında bulunduğu birçok ülkede elektronik ortama aktarılmaktadır. Elektronik sağlık kayıtları (ESK), hastaların yaşam kalitesini iyileştirme, kolay erişilebilirlik, giderleri düşürme, beklenmeyen etki veya tıbbi hataları azaltma, vb. konularda birçok yarar sağlamakla birlikte konuya ilişkin doğabilecek etik sorunlar üzerinde gereğince durulmamıştır. Zira bilgi teknolojileri hasta mahremiyetini ihlal etme potansiyeli taşımakta olup ESK üzerinden elde edilebilecek kişisel sağlık verilerinin hastaların rızası dışında paylaşımı veya kullanımı hasta özerkliğini tehlikeye atabilmektedir. Bu ön araştırma ile İç Anadolu Bölgesi’nde hizmet vermekte olan özel sigorta işletmelerinde çalışan kişilerin, hasta mahremiyeti konusundaki bilgi düzeyi ve yaklaşımlarının belirlenmesi ve özel sigorta işletmelerinin hasta mahremiyeti ihlali konusunda sahip olduğu potansiyel riskin tartışılması amaçlanmıştır. Bu nedenle İç Anadolu Bölgesi’ndeki üç şehirde (Ankara, Kayseri ve Konya) faaliyet gösteren ve basit rasgele örnekleme yöntemiyle seçilmiş özel sigorta işletmelerinde çalışmakta olan 40 kişiye anket uygulanmıştır. Sonuç olarak, katılımcıların % 91,2’si geçmişte hasta ESK’na erişmediklerini veya bu kayıtları paylaşmadıklarını belirtmiş, ancak % 70,6’sı ESK’nın sağlık sigorta işletmelerinin erişimine açık olması gerektiğine inandıklarını ifade etmiştir. Katılımcıların mesleki tecrübe süresi ile ESK’nın sigorta şirketlerinin erişimine açık olması gerektiği düşüncesine sahip olma durumları arasında istatistiksel açıdan anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmuştur (p < 0,05). Katılımcıların % 20,6’sı özel sağlık sigorta işletmelerinin, ESK’na (hastanın rızası olmaksızın) bir şekilde ulaşabileceklerini düşündüklerini ifade etmiştir. Sonuç olarak özel sigorta işletmelerinin hasta mahremiyeti ihlali konusunda potansiyel bir risk taşıdığı anlaşılmakta olup konuya ilişkin yeni yasal düzenlemelerin en kısa sürede uygulamaya konması gerekmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Tıbbi etik; hasta mahremiyeti; özel sağlık sigortası; elektronik sağlık kayıtları; Türkiye (İç Anadolu Bölgesi)

Cite: Tekiner, Halil., Ulu, Ahmet. “Knowledge and attitudes of private health insurance company employees toward patient confidentiality: a preliminary study in Central Anatolia, Turkey,” Turkiye Klinikleri J Med Ethics, 1(2), (2015): 1-7.

Link: http://www.turkiyeklinikleri.com/article/en-knowledge-and-attitudes-of-private-health-insurance-company-employees-toward-patient-con64257dentiality-a-preliminary-study-in-central-anatolia-turkey-73975.html

Türkiye'deki eczacılık tarihi müzeleri

Özet: Türkiye’nin ilk eczacılık tarihi müzesi Prof. Dr. Turhan Baytop (1920-2002) tarafından İstanbul Üniversitesi Eczacılık Fakültesi’nde 1960 yılında kurulmuştur. Baytop’un kişisel koleksiyonuyla kurulmuş olan bu müze zamanla gelişmiş ve bazı ünlü eczanelerin ve Topkapı Sarayı Enderun Eczanesi’nin malzemesi ile bugünkü zengin durumuna ulaşmıştır. 2013 yılı sonu itibariyle Türkiye’deki eczacılık tarihi müzelerinin toplam sayısı 15 olup bu müzeler makalede şu beş kategori altında incelenmiştir: Üniversite bünyesinde açılan müzeler, ilâç firmaları tarafından açılan müzeler, Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı müzeleri, vakıf müzeleri ve şahıs müzeleri.

Anahtar Sözcükler: Eczacılık tarihi, koleksiyon, müze, müzecilik

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Museums of the History of Pharmacy in Turkey - Abstract: The first museum of the history of pharmacy in Turkey was founded in 1960 by Prof. Dr. Turhan Baytop (1920-2002) at the Faculty of Pharmacy of Istanbul University. Baytop’s private collection constituted the core of this museum which, in the course of time, was enriched with different items taken from old drugstores as well as the Enderun Pharmacy of the Topkapı Palace (Istanbul). This initiative was followed up by the foundation of similar museums in other faculties of pharmacy, pharmaceutical companies and individuals, amounting to 15 by the end of 2013. The present paper aims to introduce these museums under the following categories: History of pharmacy museums located at universities, those opened by drug companies, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, foundations, and the private history of pharmacy museums.

Key words: Collection, history of pharmacy, museology, museum

Cite: Mat, Afife., Tekiner, Halil. "Türkiye'deki eczacılık tarihi müzeleri," Osmanlı Bilimi Araştırmaları, 15(2), (2014): 1-20.

Link: http://www.journals.istanbul.edu.tr/iuoba/article/view/5000080003

The forgotten hair transplantation experiment (1897) of Dr. Menahem Hodara (1869-1926)

Abstract: Menahem Hodara (1869−1926), an Ottoman dermatologist with international fame, made a number of remarkable scientific achievements in his 36 years of professional life. Hodara also conducted a hair transplantation experiment in 1897 by implanting hairs taken from patients with the scars left by favus. He first presented his findings at a session of the Imperial Society of Medicine in Istanbul, held on March 26, 1897, and shared his further results at two other sessions on October 22, 1897 and March 25, 1898. Later, this communication, which was literally entitled “On the Growth of Hair in Favus Scars after Scarification and Implanting of Portions of the Hair,” was also published in German and French. Soon after its publication, Hodara’s experiment received massive attention from international press media but a very little attention in the dermatology literature, and finally fell into oblivion after Hodara’s death. Considering the long-neglected gap in medical history, this paper aims to present Hodara’s experiment and its early reception in the field of dermatology.

Key words: Alopecia, dermatology, hair, history of medicine, Turkey

Cite: Tekiner H, Karamanou M. The forgotten hair transplantation experiment (1897) of Dr. Menahem Hodara (1869−1926). Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2016;82:352-5, DOI: 10.4103/0378-6323.179089, PMID: 27088955.

Link: http://ijdvl.com/article.asp?issn=0378-6323;year=2016;volume=82;issue=3;spage=352;epage=355;aulast=Tekiner

Can pharmaceutical history courses contribute in building future pharmacy leaders? A preliminary study from Erciyes University, Turkey

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between pharmacy students' opinions on the importance of leadership and their levels of interest in pharmaceutical history. We administered a structured questionnaire to 160 undergraduate students (response rate of 86.3%) who have taken pharmaceutical history courses at the Erciyes University Faculty of Pharmacy in the past three years. We observed that 42.8% of the participants valued leadership as a very important skill that a pharmacist should possess through his/her professional career, of which 54.2% were very interested in pharmaceutical history. There is a statistically significant relationship between participants' opinions on the importance of leadership and their levels of interest in pharmaceutical history. Our findings suggest that the participants valuing leadership as a very important skill are more interested in pharmaceutical history than those valuing leadership as an unimportant skill. This result indicates that pharmaceutical history courses can serve as an effective tool for developing pharmacy students' awareness and attitudes toward professional leadership.

Keywords: history of pharmacy, pharmaceutical history, Turkey, pharmacy education, leadership

Cite: Elmali, Ferhan., Staiger, Christiane., Tekiner, Halil. "Can pharmaceutical history courses contribute in building future pharmacy leaders? A preliminary study from Erciyes University, Turkey," Die Pharmazie 2015;70(11):753-754.

Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295938832_Can_pharmaceutical_history_courses_contribute_in_building_future_pharmacy_leaders_A_preliminary_study_from_Erciyes_University_Turkey

One hundred years of the history of pharmacy studies in Turkey

Abstract: As an inheritor of the rich medico-pharmaceutical heritage in Asia Minor, Turkey constituted a critical junction of exchange and dissemination of pharmacy knowledge between East and West throughout history. This greatly contributed to the rapid development of pharmacy as an established profession. The 20^th century saw scholarly examination of the field’s history: the first book on the history of pharmacy appeared in Turkish (1911); a history of pharmacy course was offered for the first time in the pharmacy curriculum (1945); the first history of pharmacy museum was founded (1960); and national conferences on the history of pharmacy were launched (1990). In addition to providing information on the milestones of the history of pharmacy studies in Turkey in the last hundred years, this study aims to statistically evaluate the change in the number of history of pharmacy-related publications per decade as well as discuss the current situation of history of pharmacy education at Turkish universities. The history of pharmacy has become a stronger and more independent academic discipline in Turkey, particularly in the last two decades. As of 2014, history of pharmacy undergraduate courses are taught at all faculties of pharmacy in Turkey, except the Yuzuncu Yil University (Van), mainly between first and fourth semesters.

Keywords: history of pharmacy, pharmacy, Turkey

Cite: Tekiner, Halil. "One hundred years of the history of pharmacy studies in Turkey," Die Pharmazie 2015;70(2):139-144, DOI: 10.1691/ph.2015.4096, PMID: 25997256.

Link: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/govi/pharmaz/2015/00000070/00000002/art00013?crawler=true

Turhan Baytop (1920-2002): A pioneer historian of pharmacy from Turkey

Abstract: Turhan Baytop, a Turkish professor of pharmacognosy (the scientific study of crude drugs of animal, vegetable, and mineral origin), received international acclaim not only for his contributions in collecting and identifying the Anatolian plants, but also for his extensive research shedding light on the history of Turkish pharmacy. As a devoted researcher, collector, and lecturer, T Baytop was a genuine pioneer of the history of pharmacy as a discipline in Turkey.

Keywords: Turhan Baytop, historian of pharmacy, history of pharmacy, Turkey

Cite: Tekiner, Halil. "Turhan Baytop (1920-2002): A pioneer historian of pharmacy from Turkey," Journal of Medical Biography 2016: in press, DOI: 10.1177/0967772015608055, PMID: 26512066.

Link: http://jmb.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/10/27/0967772015608055.long 

The opium poppy as a symbol of sleep in Bertel Thorvaldsen’s relief of 1815

Abstract: Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770‒1844) is one of the most remarkable representatives of Neoclassicist sculptural art in Europe, which was largely inspired by the classical art and culture of Greek and Roman antiquity. A pair of marble reliefs, Night and Day, exhibited in the Thorvaldsen Museum (Copenhagen), marks the culmination of Thorvaldsen’s relief art and is of particular interest for the history of sleep medicine. In the first relief, Night, an angel with her neck bent and eyes closed has two babies in her embrace and seems to be floating down in grief, with an owl hovering behind her. Her hair is also twined with opium poppies, the symbol of sleep and death in antiquity. Our findings suggest that this relief not only indicates a mythological association between the opium poppy and sleep but also has a strong connotation with the poppy’s medicinal use for inducing sleep throughout the centuries.

Keywords: Ancient medicine, medicine in art, opium poppy, sleep medicine

Cite: Tekiner, Halil., Kosar, Muberra. "The opium poppy as a symbol of sleep in Bertel Thorvaldsen’s relief of 1815," Sleep Medicine 2016;19:123-125, DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2015.04.024, PMID: 26210393. 

Link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945715008096

Sella turcica: an anatomical, endocrinological, and historical perspective

Abstract: The sphenoid bone has a superior depression called the sella turcica, Latin for “Turkish saddle,” where the pituitary gland is found. The availability of modern radiological imaging techniques has replaced plain radiography of the sella turcica in the investigation of hypothalamo-pituitary abnormalities. However, the size of the sella turcica, and smaller sella turcica size in particular, may cause pituitary dysfunction because of the changes in the structure of pituitary gland or may be associated with some genetic or acquired endocrine disorders. The name “sella turcica” is one of the most commonly used terms in everyday endocrine practice. After Andreas Vesalius’s description of it as a suitable cavity for the gland that receives the “phlegm of the brain” in De Humani Corporis Fabrica (1543), medical scholars began to use seat/saddle-related terms such as the ephippium, pars sellaris, sella equina, sella ossis, and sella sphenoidalis. The real designation of the sella turcica, however, was introduced to the anatomical nomenclature by the anatomist Adrianus Spigelius (1578–1625) in his famous work De Humani Corporis Fabrica (1627). In this review, after a brief explanation of the anatomical and endocrinological features of the sella turcica had been given, a historical perspective of sella turcica nomenclature was presented for the first time.

Keywords: Pituitary diseases, Sella size, Sella turcica, Turkish saddle

Cite: Tekiner, Halil., Acer, Niyazi., Kelestimur, Fahrettin. "Sella turcica: an anatomical, endocrinological, and historical perspective." Pituitary 2015;18(4): 575-578, DOI: 10.1007/s11102-014-0609-2, PMID: 25307180.

Link: http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/38009228/2015TekinerPituitary.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEA&Expires=1470658435&Signature=eqJ%2Bjiaom6wEwiz8qNZuduZaTZs%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DTekiner_Halil._Acer_Niyazi._Kelestimur_F.pdf

The historical evolution of the Turkish pharmaceutical legislation from 1852 to the present

Abstract: Pharmaceutical legislation plays a key role in providing regulatory norms for the practice of pharmacy. Knowing the historical background of legislation also promotes a better understanding of the interrelationship between pharmacy-related issues of the past and the present. This study aims to examine the historical evolution of Turkish pharmaceutical legislation from 1852 to the present. Pharmaceutical laws, regulations, and directives enacted in the Ottoman and the Republican periods were analyzed from several different aspects (i.e., qualifications of pharmacists, requirements for setting up a pharmacy, and national pharmacopoeia). The first pharmaceutical regulation in Turkey, “Regulation of civil pharmacy in the Ottoman domains,” (1852) stipulated for the first time that a pharmacy had to be operated by a diploma holder-pharmacist, and the quality and safety of the medicines prepared in a pharmacy were primarily under the pharmacist’s responsibility. Despite a great number of pharmaceutical regulations enacted in the 19th century, it was after the proclamation of the Republican regime in 1923 that Turkey observed a sustainable development in its pharmaceutical legislation.

Keywords: History of pharmacy, pharmaceutical legislation, Turkey

Cite: Tekiner, Halil., Ulu, Ahmet. "The historical evolution of the Turkish pharmaceutical legislation from 1852 to the present," Farmacia 2015; 63(4):619-622.

Link: http://www.revistafarmacia.ro/201504/art-25-Halil_619-622.pdf

Aretaeus of Cappadocia and his treatises on diseases

Abstract: Aretaeus of Cappadocia is considered as one of the greatest medical scholars of Greco-Roman antiquity after Hippocrates. He presumably was a native or at least a citizen of Cappadocia, a Roman province in Asia Minor (Turkey), and most likely lived around the middle of the second century (AD). His eight volume treatise, written in Ionic Greek, entitled On the Causes, Symptoms and Cure of Acute and Chronic Diseases remained unknown until the middle of the 16th century when, in 1552, the first Latin edition was published. In this work, Aretaeus offered clinical descriptions of a number of diseases among which he gave classic accounts of asthma, epilepsy, pneumonia, tetanus, uterus cancer and different kinds of insanity. He differentiated nervous diseases and mental disorders and described hysteria, headaches, mania and melancholia. He also rendered the earliest clear accounts on coeliac disease, diphtheria and heart murmur, and gave diabetes its name.

Keywords: ancient medicine, biography, diagnosis, disease, history of medicine, neurosurgery

Cite: Tekiner, Halil. "Aretaeus of Cappadocia and his treatises on diseases," Turk Neurosurg 2015;25(3): 508-512, doi: 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.12347-14.0, PMID: 26037198.

Link: http://www.neurosurgery.dergisi.org/pdf/pdf_JTN_1541.pdf