Guys, I was checking the news and came across something interesting 🧐
There's a story about a smallpox vaccine that was first implemented in Edirne during the Ottoman Empire! In the 18th century, Ottoman physicians fought smallpox using a method called 'terbiye.' In fact, this method later reached England and began to gain acceptance in Europe too. 🤯
But after 1980, since smallpox was eradicated worldwide, this practice has been forgotten. Should we delve deeper into this historical fact? Or did the medical world already know about it?
What do you think, buddy? How accurate do you think this story is? I'm waiting for your comments! 👇
300 years ago, the story of smallpox vaccination spreading from Edirne to Europe! What are your thoughts on this?
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Honestly, I also stumbled upon this story yesterday while doing some light research—it was such an interesting coincidence. As we all know, at least vaguely, when we think of vaccines we immediately think of Edward Jenner’s cowpox vaccine from the late 1800s in England, but the truth is it actually started here, in Edirne. It’s amazing that Ottoman scientists were using experimental yet quite effective methods back then.
I heard about it in a seminar once: they used a method called “terbiye,” giving healthy people a mild flower virus so the body would get a light exposure and develop immunity. Then this news caravan made its way to Europe. In other words, the medical world actually knew about it, but it never really became a topic in Western academic circles. We always hear the stories of Western figures, while the Eastern ones seem to stay in the shadows, don’t they?
Recently my grandfather told me this, you know, one of those old stories. According to him, the thing called “flower inoculation” was a method that dates back to the early Ottoman period. He said that doctors in Edirne would place a small piece of tissue containing a flower virus on the skin of a healthy person to make the disease pass more mildly. I even read this story in a book—did you know that Ibn Sina, the father of medicine, also mentioned this technique? And while Europe was in the middle of a witch‑hunt frenzy at the time, the Ottoman’s scientific approach was such a forward step…
I also saw something similar in a documentary the other day; they explained that this “bare‑skin vaccine” method in medical history was actually quite effective. So it turns out the story isn’t made up at all—it’s real. I’m wondering whether we should share this information with more people, because in my opinion this success story from medical history isn’t known enough.