A Reformist in Ottoman Medicine: Salih bin Nasrullah and Tıbb-ı Cedid

The aim of this study is to analyse the life, personality and contributions of the Aleppo-born Ottoman physician Salih bin Nasrullah, one of the pioneers of the new period known as ‘Tıbb-ı Cedid’, which represented a shift from the traditional Eastern school of medicine in Ottoman medicine in the second half of the 17th century. The study also aims to introduce the influence of Paracelsus, who entered the Ottoman medical world under Nasrullah's leadership, and to examine some of the claims made about Nasrullah. It argues that the claims that Nasrullah had seen the work of Paracelsus and translated it thanks to his language skills are difficult to prove. It is also argued that some of the information presented about Nasrullah's personality may be erroneous. This study, based on Ottoman archival documents and tabakat books, reveals that the date of Nasrullah's granting of the Tekirdag benefice was recorded incorrectly, that there is no definite information about his conversion, and that it is not possible to determine how well he mastered languages, especially Latin, in terms of language. In this framework, the study aims to correct the widespread information about Nasrullah in the literature and to create a coherent biography of the physician. Apart from the introduction, the study is planned in two parts: The first part deals with the determinations regarding Nasrullah's biography, while the second part includes a discussion on his relationship with Tıbb-ı Cedid, which makes Nasrullah important.