Safiye Ali facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Safiye Ali
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 2 February 1894 |
| Died | 5 July 1952 (aged 58) |
| Education | Robert College |
| Known for | First female medical doctor of the Republic of Turkey |
| Medical career | |
| Profession | Physician |
| Institutions | Istanbul |
Safiye Ali (born February 2, 1894 – died July 5, 1952) was a Turkish doctor. She was the very first female medical doctor in the Republic of Turkey. Safiye Ali studied at Robert College in Istanbul.
She helped soldiers during the Balkan Wars, World War I, and the Turkish War of Independence. In 1916, she went to Germany to study medicine. Later, in 1923, she opened her own doctor's office in Istanbul. Today, a family health center in Istanbul is named after her.
Safiye Ali did important work to help mothers and babies. She also made history as the first woman to teach medicine to female students.
Contents
Safiye Ali's Journey to Become a Doctor
Safiye Ali was a very dedicated student while studying in Germany. She helped German doctors in their offices, even during holidays. She also studied philosophy and history.
When she took her final doctor's exam, she was the only Turkish person. She aimed to get the top score. Even though it was difficult because she graduated from an American college, she earned her diploma.
She wrote her thesis about a specific type of bleeding in babies. After becoming a doctor, she returned to Istanbul. Six weeks later, she went back to Germany to learn more about women's health (gynecology) and children's health (pediatrics). She married Dr. Ferdinand Krekeler, who later changed his name to Ferdi Ali.
Opening Her Own Practice
In June 1923, Safiye Ali received her license to practice medicine in Turkey. She was officially the first female doctor! She opened her first office in Cağaloğlu.
Like other doctors at the time, she placed an advertisement in a newspaper. It said: "Dr. Safiye Ali Hanım accepts women and child patients every day, except Fridays and Sundays, at her office number 52 on Nuruosmaniye Street in Istanbul."
At first, she didn't have many patients. Wealthy women didn't trust her because she was a woman. However, poor women felt comfortable sharing their problems with her. But they often wanted to pay less because she was a woman.
Fighting for Fair Pay
Safiye Ali faced challenges from other doctors too. She believed in "equal pay for equal work." She told patients that if they had money problems, she wouldn't charge them. But if they could pay, she would charge the same as male doctors.
Safiye Ali was more than just a doctor in her office. She also became the first female teacher to teach medicine to girls. She taught about women's health at the first girls' medical school, which was part of the American College.
Her work for women's rights and her photos often appeared in newspapers. Sadly, Safiye Ali resigned from a place called Süt Damlası because her colleagues treated her unfairly. Her patients were very upset about this.
Women even protested in front of the Hilal-i Ahmer society and then at the home of the doctor who replaced her. Safiye Ali's rivals claimed she organized these protests. But she said these claims were false and that male doctors were jealous of women's success. She refused to take back her resignation.
Safiye Ali faced many unfair accusations from male colleagues. She kept fighting for her profession until she found a lump in her chest. She was diagnosed with cancer and moved to Germany. Even while sick, she continued to help people during World War II. She passed away in Dortmund at the age of 58.
Helping Mothers and Babies
Across Europe, there were special places called Süt Damlası Nursing Homes. These homes helped babies who couldn't drink breast milk. The Süt Damlası branch in Istanbul was started by the French Red Cross. In 1925, it was given to the Himaye-i Etfal Society.
The main goal of Süt Damlası was to teach mothers how to care for their children in a healthy way. Safiye Ali's hard work made Süt Damlası very successful.
Promoting Breastfeeding
Safiye Ali strongly believed that breast milk was the best for babies. She encouraged all mothers to breastfeed. She also organized training for children who were not eating well, teaching parents about healthy food.
She sent nurses to homes to make sure mothers were following the advice. She did all this work for free. Safiye Ali also started the Hilal-i Ahmer Ladies Center Little Children Practice. This place was similar to Süt Damlası but helped older children.
Süt Damlası helped babies who were no longer breastfeeding. The Little Children Practice cared for sick and weak children over the age of one. They didn't just treat patients. They also taught mothers, raised awareness, and even helped with dressing and washing children twice a year.
Kind women would sew clothes and put together baskets for poor mothers. These baskets contained baby clothes and were given to mothers for nine months. If a mother took good care of the basket and returned it, she received a gift of baby clothes. The returned baskets were cleaned and given to another new mother. The goal was to teach mothers modern and healthy ways to care for their children.
Safiye Ali and Süt Damlası became very important to mothers. Besides her volunteer work, her own doctor's office was always busy with patients.
Women's People Party and Safiye Ali
Many people think the first political party in the Republic of Turkey was the Republican People's Party. But actually, the first party was the Women's People Party. This party was not allowed to operate, so its members continued their work under the name of the Turkish Women's Union.
Safiye Ali was part of this group. She believed women should be active in politics. She often spoke about how much work needed to be done in parliament to help children.
Family Background
Safiye Ali was born in Istanbul on February 2, 1894. Her father, Ali Kırat Pasha, worked for Sultan Abdulaziz and Sultan Abdülhamit II. Her grandfather, Hacı Emin Pasha, was from Damascus. He was a religious leader in Mecca for 17 years. He also started five schools in Mecca that still teach students today.
Honoring Safiye Ali
On February 2, 2021, Google celebrated Safiye Ali's 127th birthday with a special drawing called a Google Doodle.
