Love in the Time of Syphilis: Medicine, Sex and the End of Ottoman Empire

Trinity Long Room Hub Podcasts · Feb 11, 2026 · 44m

Recorded January 27th 2026. A lecture by visiting research fellow Dr Seçil Yılmaz (University of Pennsylvania) organised by the School of Histories and Humanities. Although syphilis had existed in Ottoman society since the sixteenth century, it became a significant public health concern in the latter half of the nineteenth century as a result of increased mobility, particularly among soldiers, Muslim immigrants, and seasonal workers traveling throughout the Ottoman countryside. The disease provoked fear, shame, and secrecy as Ottoman physicians devised socio-medical regulations and…