Safiye Ali
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Safiye Ali | |
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| Born | 2 February 1894 |
| Died | 5 July 1952 (aged 58) |
| Education | Robert College |
| Known for | First female doctor of the Republic of Turkey |
| Medical career | |
| Profession | Physician |
Safiye Ali (2 February 1894 – 5 July 1952) or Hatice Safiye Ali was a Turkish physician. She was the second female doctor in the Republic of Turkey. She graduated from the Robert College in Istanbul. She treated soldiers in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and the Turkish War of Independence. She studied medicine in Germany in 1916 and opened her office in Istanbul in 1923.[1][2][3]
Safiye researched maternal and infant health. She was also the first woman to teach medicine in Turkey.[4]
Early life
[edit]Safiye Ali was born in Istanbul to Emine Hasene Hanım (her mother) and Ali Kırat Pasha (her father).[5] Her father died while she was young, and she was raised in the house of her grandfather, Sheikh Hacı Emin Pasha of Mecca.[6]
Education
[edit]In 1916, Safiye graduated from Arnavutköy American College for Girls[7] and was sent to the University of Würzburg (Julius-Maximilians-Universität) at Würzburg. Her education was partly funded by the Ottoman Ministry of Education. During her studies, she took lessons in philosophy and history.[4]
The Bavarian Ministry of Education in Germany did not initially issue the necessary papers for Safiye to take the physical exam (her first medical exam) because she was a graduate of the American College. However, she eventually took the exam in 1918 and graduated in 1921, becoming a physician. After briefly returning to Istanbul, she then returned to Germany once again to specialize in gynecology and pediatrics.[6] During this time, she married her husband, Dr. Ferdinand Krekeler, who later adopted the name of Ferdi Ali.[4]
Career
[edit]In June 1923, in Turkey, Safiye obtained her license to practice medicine, becoming the first female doctor in the country. She opened her first practice in Cağaloğlu. Safiye advertised her practice in the newspapers, as other doctors of the time did.
When she began, she had difficulty obtaining patients. Wealthy women did not trust her work as a doctor because she was a woman. Poor women would seek her services, but they did not want to pay the full visit fee for a female physician. There was no support in the medical community, either. In response to those who wished to pay a lower visit fee, she charged the same as her male colleagues. Exceptions were made for patients who were unable to pay, but Safiye Ali fought for "equal pay for equal work".[4]
Safiye Ali was the first female lecturer to teach medicine to girls, giving gynecology and obstetrics lessons at the first girls' medical school established within the American College. She also worked with the Süt Damlası program, a project of the French Red Cross whose goal was to educate mothers about the importance of breastfeeding.[4]
Safiye Ali eventually resigned from Süt Damlası. Her resignation was met with great sorrow by her patients. Women organized protests, first in front of the Hilal-Al-Ahmar society, and then in front of the house of Fuat Bey, who was appointed to replace her. While her critics claimed that she had organized the protests, Ali denied the allegations, claiming that the issue was "created by male doctors who could not tolerate the success of women" and refusing to withdraw her resignation.[4]
After being diagnosed with cancer, she settled in Germany, where she continued to practice medicine until her death at 58 years old in Dortmund, West Germany.[4]
Works on Breastfeeding
[edit]During her time at Süt Damlası, Safiye Ali emphasized the superiority of breast milk over all other kinds of milk, encouraged women to breastfeed, and led training sessions for malnourished children where she encouraged them to practice healthier diets.[4] She also established the "Hilal-Al-Ahmar Ladies Center Little Children Practice," the first pediatric clinic in Turkey, which resembled Süt Damlası but treated children of different ages.[8]
Women's People Party and Safiye Ali
[edit]Safiye was a member of the delegation in the Women's People Party, which promoted the active participation of women in politics and emphasized the needs of children. The Turkish government dismissed the party in 1924, but they continued to organize under the name of the Turkish Women's Union.
She served in the Women's Union as the head of the Health Committee. She also fought to end prostitution, working to establish a girls' dormitory for any girls who were forced into the sex trade.[9]
Legacy
[edit]- A family health center in Istanbul is named after her.[10]
- On 2 February 2021, Google celebrated her 127th birthday with a Google Doodle.[11]
- On 30 November 2022, a street in Dortmund was named after her.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ Abadan-Unat, Kandiyoti & Kıray 1981, 9
- ^ Arda 2009, 11.
- ^ Davis 1986, 266.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Türkiye'nin ilk kadın doktoru: Safiye Ali | Örnek Kadınlar | Lacivert Dergi". 2016-06-02. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ Çolak, Orhan Murat (2006). "Libya'dan Üsküdar'a Bir Padişah Yaveri: Ali Kırat Paşa (1830-1903) ve Ailesi". Üsküdar Sempozyumu (in Turkish). İstanbul: Üsküdar Belediyesi – via Academia.
- ^ a b i̇Ncesulu, A.; Eyigör, H.; Başak, S. (2021). "From Past to Present: The Journey of Female Doctors in Medicine and Otorhinolaryngology in Turkey". Turkish Archives of Otorhinolaryngology. 59 (3): 166–171. doi:10.4274/tao.2021.2021-5-14. PMC 8527543. PMID 34713001.
- ^ Frau Enruhrgeschichte website, Safiye Ali Krekeler: die erste Ärztin der Türkei in Dortmund
- ^ Traktu Skultur website, Hatice Safiye Ali, the first female medical doctor of the Republic, article by Batuhan Şentürk
- ^ Tor, Sara (8 March 2023). "From Nezihe Muhittin to Sabiha Rifat : Five women who helped define modern Turkey". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
- ^ "İstanbul Sağlık Müdürlüğü". Istanbulsaglik.gov.tr. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
- ^ "Safiye Ali's 127th Birthday". Google. 2 February 2021.
- ^ Ruhr News website, Turkish doctor becomes namesake; Hannah Rosenbaum explains renaming of streets in Dortmund, article by Kevin Kindel dated December 2, 2022
Bibliography
[edit]- Abadan-Unat, Nermin; Kandiyoti, Deniz; Kıray, Mübeccel Belik (1981), Women in Turkish Society, BRILL, ISBN 90-04-06346-3.
- Arda, Berna (2009), Anatolia; The Cradle of Modern Medicine (PDF), Journal of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, 62(1)
- Davis, Fanny (1986), The Ottoman Lady: A Social History from 1718 to 1918, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 0-313-24811-7.
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