Women in Medicine across Empires: A Historical Study of Female Medical Practitioners in Iran and the Ottoman World

Document Type : Conference Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran

2 Student research committee, school health and religion, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran

3 Department of History of Medicine, School of Persian Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

This study provides a comparative historical analysis of female medical practitioners in the Ottoman Empire and Iran from the early modern period to the nineteenth century. Utilizing a historical-comparative methodology, it examines primary and secondary sources to reveal a significant divergence in women’s professional opportunities. The findings indicate that Ottoman women achieved notable integration as physicians, surgeons, and midwives, supported by formal training and institutional legitimization. In contrast, women in Qajar Iran were predominantly confined to informal roles as midwives and healers, their advancement constrained by stricter sociopolitical structures. The study concludes that women’s participation in Islamic medicine was profoundly shaped by distinct imperial policies and religious interpretations, challenging homogenized understandings of gender roles in premodern medical history.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Research on History of Medicine
Volume 14, Suppl. 1
The 2nd History of Medicine Meeting: Entangled Histories: Contribution of Iran and Türkiye to the Development of Medical Sciences; 2025 Oct 7-10; Shiraz, Iran
October 2025
Pages 117-120

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