Tevfik Sağlam Pasha (born; Ali Tevfik Salim Sağlam; 7 May 188211 July 1963) was a Turkish a military physician and professor, known for his contributions to

medical education Medical education is vocational education, education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, including the initial training to become a physician (i.e., medical school and internship (medical), internship) and additional trainin ...

and health reforms during the

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of the Republic of Turkey. He served as the chief physician of the Health Division of the Selanik Redif Brigade during the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

, the chief of health of the 2nd and 3rd Armies during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and later chief of

internal medicine Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...

at the Gülhane Military Medical Academy. Known for his advocacy for health reforms such as establishment of health Institutions focused on

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

, he served as the first

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

of the Faculty of Medicine at the

Istanbul University Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...

Early life and education

Sağlam was born on 27 May 1882, in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. He was the son of Mehmet Salim Bey, who served as the director of the Sadaret Cipher Office, and his mother was Nevber Hanım. Sağlam began his education at Sultanahmet Üçler School in 1888, followed by Soğukçeşme Military Rüştiye in 1891. He entered the Military Medical School in 1895 and graduated in 1903, receiving the rank of captain doctor.

Career

Following his graduation, he interned at the Gülhane Military Medical Academy, where he worked in the Internal Medicine Clinic under the supervision of Dr. Süleyman Numan Pasha. He became an

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

of internal diseases at the Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Şahane in 1906. After the merger of military and civilian medical schools into the Faculty of Medicine in 1909, he was appointed as the laboratory chief, establishing the 3rd Internal Medicine Clinic. During the Balkan Wars, Sağlam served as the chief physician of the Health Division of the Selanik Redif Brigade in

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...

. In World War I, he was appointed chief of health of the 2nd Army and later the 3rd Army in

. He encountered numerous challenges related to the spread of

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

and other

infectious disease An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmis ...

s, which were rampant during this period. To combat these

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infection ...

s, he implemented various

disinfection A disinfectant is a chemical substance or compound used to inactivate or destroy microorganisms on inert surfaces. Disinfection does not necessarily kill all microorganisms, especially resistant bacterial spores; it is less effective than ...

method Method (, methodos, from μετά/meta "in pursuit or quest of" + ὁδός/hodos "a method, system; a way or manner" of doing, saying, etc.), literally means a pursuit of knowledge, investigation, mode of prosecuting such inquiry, or system. In re ...

s and developed

vaccine A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifi ...

s that were utilized by both the Ottoman and

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armies.

Later work

After the conclusion of World War I and the establishment of the

Republic of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, Sağlam joined the healthcare initiatives under

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

. He served as the head of the Health Department of the

Ministry of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divide ...

but later resigned to focus on his work as a specialist in internal medicine at the Ankara Sarı Kışla Mevki Hospital in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

. After the conclusion of initiatives, he returned to Istanbul and took on various roles, including chief of Internal Medicine at İzmir Hospital and professor of Internal Medicine at Gülhane Military Medical Academy. In 1926, he was appointed as a member of the Turkish Codex Commission and reestablished the health structure in the Republic of Turkey. He actively participated in several health initiatives, including the formation of the Istanbul Tuberculosis Combat Society and served as a member of the Turkish Medical Council. Sağlam was also a writer and educator. He published numerous articles focused on infectious diseases, internal medicine, and

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

. His wrote several books such as ''Usul-i Teşhis-i Seriri (1909)'', ''Koleranın Teşhis-i Bakteriyolojisi (1910)'', ''Ürobilinin Menşei Hakkında (1915)'', ''Emraz-ı Dâhiliye (1920)'', ''Gülhane (1920)'', ''Tifo Aşısı (1921)'', ''Malarya (1922)'', ''Sıtma Tedavisi (1923)'', ''Lekeli Tifo (1924)'', ''Dâhili Tıp Teneffüs Azası Hastalıkları (1926)'', ''Büyük Harpte Üçüncü Orduda Sıhhi Hizmet (1941)'', ''Hayatım (1947)'', and ''İç Hastalıkları Kliniğinde 50 Yıl (1952)''. The ''Modern Bir Verem Savaşı Kurmak Lazımdır (1955)'' is one of his prominent writings which became a critical

reference A reference is a relationship between objects in which one object designates, or acts as a means by which to connect to or link to, another object. The first object in this relation is said to ''refer to'' the second object. It is called a ''nam ...

in the field, contributing to the importance of integrating modern

medical practice Medicine is the science and practice of caring for patients, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

s within the Turkish healthcare system.

Early life and education

Career

Later work

References

Further reading