This article explores the life and work of Dr Caroline F. Hamilton, one of the pioneering female physicians sent from the USA to the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century. Over a career spanning three decades, Hamilton provided critical medical care, especially to women, at the Azariah Smith Memorial Hospital in Aintab, overcoming legal, cultural, and political obstacles to become one of the first women licensed to practise medicine in the region. Her contributions, particularly in treating Muslim women who had limited access to male doctors, were significant in advancing healthcare in a conservative society. Hamilton’s role extended beyond direct patient care, she also trained local health workers, contributing to long-term improvements in healthcare. Her efforts during times of war, epidemics, and humanitarian crises exemplified her resilience and dedication. This article highlights Hamilton’s broader legacy, examining how her work reflects the intersection of gender, medicine, and missionary activity in a complex geopolitical context while also contributing to the introduction of Western medical practices in the Ottoman Empire.
For details, see Yücel İdris. Anadolu'da Amerikan Misyonerliği ve Misyon Hastaneleri (1880–1934)/American Missions and Mission Hospitals in Anatolia (1880–1934), Türk Tarih Kurumu Yay., Ankara, 2017, pp. 169–188. Baytop Turhan. Antep'in Öncü Hekimleri Merkezi Türkiye Koleji Tıp Bölümü ve Antep Amerikan Hastanesi/Medical Pioneers of Aintab, The Medical Department of Central Turkey College and the Aintab American Hospital, İstanbul, 2003, pp. 25–34.
2.
Hall William H. West Hartford, Printed by James A. Reid, Hartford, Connecticut, 1930, p. 244.
The Smith College Monthly, Vol. XVI, October 1908-June 1909, Northampton, Mass, 1910, p. 188.
5.
SylvainC. History of the New York Medical College and Hospital for Women. Articles on Homeopathy, 2001.
6.
“Vassar Graduates”, The Eastern Star, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 1890, p. 1.
7.
Nineteenth Annual Report of New York Infant Asylum, Presented at the Annual Meeting, January 20th, 1891, Manhattan Printing and Publishing Co., New York, 1891, p. 29.
Medical Missionary Work Under the American Board. The Missionary Herald. Vol. XCIII, No. VII, July 1897, p. 269.
11.
Dr Caroline F. Hamilton is supported by donations from Miss Sarah Louise Day for Mission Work for Women. According to the January 1900 issue of The Missionary Herald, the donation made for Hamilton amounted to $25. “Donations”, The Missionary Herald, Vol. XCVI, January 1900, No. 1, p. 36; Wilson, Life in West Hartford, 2018.
For her life story, see. Fleischmann Ellen. “I Only Wish I Had a Home On This Globe”, Transnational Biography and Dr Mary Eddy, Journal of Women’s History, Vol. 2, No. 3, s. 108-120.
14.
FikrettinY. Osmanlı Coğrafyasında Çalışma İzni Verilen İlk Kadın Doktor: Protestan Misyoner Mary Pearson Eddy/The First Female Doctor Permitted to Work in Ottoman Lands: Protestant Missionary Mary Pearson Eddy. Türkistan'dan Anadolu'ya Tarihin İzinde, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Alpargu'ya Armağan, Ed. Zeynep İskefiyeli, Muhammed Bilal Çelik, Cilt. 2. Nobel Yayınları, Şubat 2020, pp. 1064–1075.
15.
FikrettinY. II. Abdülhamid Döneminde Bir Amerikan Elçisi: Alexander Watkins Terrell (1893-18971)/An American Ambassador During the Reign of Abdulhamid II: Alexander Watkins Terrell (1893-1897), Babıali Kültür Yayıncılığı, İstanbul 2016, pp. 109–123.
16.
T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı Devlet Arşivleri Başkanlığı Osmanlı Arşivi (Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, Directorate of State Archives, Ottoman Archives), BOA. Meclis-i Vükela Mazbataları (Minutes of the Council of Ministers), MV. 77–8.
17.
BOA. Yıldız Mütenevvi Maruzat Evrakı (Yıldız, Miscellaneous Petitions Documents), Y.MTV. 95-84; Bâb-ı Âlî Evrak Odası (The Office of Documents of the Sublime Porte), BEO., 278/20839; BEO, 306/22896.
18.
Mr. Terrell to Mr. Greshman, November 8, 1893, No. 101, Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS.), (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1894), p. 702.
19.
“Personal”, Harper’s Bazar, Vol. XXVI, Number 29, New York, Saturday, July 22, 1893, p. 590; “Items of Missionary Intelligence”, Herald of Mission News, No. 11, November, 1893, p. 227.
20.
“Notes, Letters: Medical Women in Turkey”, The British Medical Journal, Nov. 25, 1893, p. 1191.
21.
The Smith College Monthly, p. 188.
22.
Purington LouiseC. “Turkey: Aintab”, Our medical work. Woman’s Board of Missions, W.B.M.I., and W.B.M.P. Physicians, trained nurses, hospitals, dispensaries, sanitation and hygiene on the foreign field. 1903, p. 19.
23.
FarukT. Amerikan Board Misyonerlerinin Antep'teki Faaliyetleri 1848–1920, Çizgi Kitabevi, Konya, 2022, p. 217.
“Central Turkey Mission: Medical Work”, Annual Report of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, 1894, p. 42.
27.
There were no Muslim doctors in Antep besides a single municipal physician (if present). The first Turkish hospital, constructed in 1897 and known as the “Blue Hospital,” was followed by the “Yellow Hospital” (Nîsâiyye), specialising in women’s health. However, Armenian doctors were staffed in both hospitals and were less well-equipped than the American Hospital. Güllü Ramazan Erhan. Antep Ermenileri – Sosyal Kültürel ve Siyasi Hayatı/The Armenians of Antep – Their Social, Cultural, and Political Life, IQ Kültür Sanat Yayıncılık, İstanbul 2010, pp. 153–154.
28.
Hamilton CarolineF. “Turkey: Hospital Work in Aintab – Report for the Year”, Life and Light For Woman, Vol. XXVI, November 1896, No. 11, pp. 496–498; Hamilton Caroline F. “Turkey: At the Hospital in Aintab”, Life and Light for Woman, Vol. XXIX, September 1899, No. 9, pp. 394–400; Hamilton Caroline F. “Extracts From Recent Letters: From Dr. Caroline F. Hamilton, At The Hospital in Anitab, Turkey”, Life and Light for Woman, Vol. XXX, March 1900, No. 3, pp. 121–122; Hamilton Caroline F. “Turkey: Unknown Heroines”, Life and Light for Woman, Vol. XXXII, November, 1902, No. 11, pp. 499–501.
29.
Hamilton, “Turkey: At the Hospital in Aintab”, p. 400.
30.
Hamilton CarolineF. “Additional Sketch: Medical Work in Aintab”, Turkey A Course of Twelve Lessons, Arranged by Mrs. L. S. Crawford Boston: Printed for the Board, 1899, pp. 28-29.
31.
Hamilton, “Additional Sketch: Medical Work in Aintab”, pp. 28-29.
32.
Upon examining the data, it is noted that while the total patient count is 258, an analysis of ethnic distribution reveals information for only 244 patients. This suggests that there are 14 patients whose ethnic identity is not specified. The gender distribution, recorded as 150 men and 108 women, corresponds to the overall patient count of 258. These findings indicate a discrepancy in the data regarding ethnic identity information. “Central Turkey Mission”, Annual Report of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, Home Department, 1905-1906, Boston: Congregational House, 1906, p. 78.
33.
Eddy David Brewer. What next in Turkey: glimpses of the American Board’s work in the Near East, 1913, p. 134.
34.
Bewer AliceC.
The Medical Missionary Association of Turkey. The American Journal of Nursing1908;
9:
118–
120.
35.
The Smith College Monthly, p. 189.
36.
“The Missions: Central Turkey Mission”, Annual Report of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, 101. Annual Meeting in Tremont Temple, Boston, Tuesday, October 11, 1910, p. 113. For one of her reports, see. “Near East Mission in Turkey Annual Station Reports, 1914-1921 to 1925-1926: Report of the Azariah Smith Mission Hospital”, Salt Araştırma, [cited 2024 November 06]. https://archives.saltresearch.org/handle/123456789/46651
37.
“Medical Missions in Turkey in Asia”, The Pennsylvania Medical Journal, June 1912, pp. 728–729.
38.
Greene JosephK. Leavening the Levant.
Boston, New York:
The Pilgrim Press,
1916. p.
151.
39.
“Missions in Turkey”, Annual Report of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions 108. Annual Meeting, Memorial Hall, Columbus, Monday, October 15, 1917, p. 75.
40.
ShepardRA. Shepard of Aintab.
New York:
Interchurch Press,
1920. p.
71.
41.
“Missions in Turkey: Stations Held by More Than One Missionary”, 109. Annual Report of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, Hartford, Connecticut, December 10, 1918, Boston, pp. 175–176.
Sarafian KevorkA. A Briefer History of Aintab, A Concise History of the Cultural, Religious, Educational, Political, industrial and Commercial Life of the Armenians of Aintab, Union of the Armenians of Aintab, Printed in the USA, 1957, p. 68.
