From Zoologie Médicale to ʿIlm–i Hayvānāt–ı Tıbbī: A Comparative History of Medical Zoology in Ottoman Scientific Literature

This article examines the formation and development of the discipline of İlm-i Ḥayvānāt-ı Ṭıbbī (medical zoology) within the scientific and educational context of the Ottoman Empire. By analyzing textbooks used in applied sciences such as medicine, veterinary science, and pharmacy from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, the study reveals the institutionalization process of zoology (ilm-i ḥayvānāt) as a newly introduced subject in Ottoman curricula. It particularly focuses on the works of Macarlı Abdullah Bey (d. 1874), Hüseyin Remzi (d. 1896), Hulûsi Bin Râşid (d. 1936), and İsmâil Hakkı Bey (d. 1939) to identify the main distinctions between general zoology books and medical zoology texts. The article offers a comparative analysis of these works regarding content structure, classification methods, and their treatment of practical medical issues, such as parasitology. This study demonstrates how Ottoman authors closely followed European scientific developments, especially the French Zoologie Médicale tradition, and adapted this knowledge to meet local pedagogical needs. These texts are not merely translations, but scholarly contributions that reflect the integration of scientific knowledge into formal institutional education.