Articles
Publication Date: 2025
Research On History Of Medicine (2251886X)14(1)pp. 59-74
Food hygiene is a crucial aspect of public health, directly impacting societal well-being. From the mid-Qajar period onward, mirroring the broader “medicalization” of public health, traditional folk and religious understandings of food safety were gradually replaced by modern medical teachings. This research employs a descriptive-analytical approach, utilizing primary source documents to examine the components and challenges of food hygiene during the Naseri era alongside government interventions designed to improve it. Key focus areas included water, bread, meat, kitchens, cooks, eating practices, food storage, and fruits/dried fruits. The study analyzes health concerns in each area and the government’s corresponding actions, such as issuing advisory and directive decrees, establishing health institutions, and conducting public health awareness campaigns through print media like newspapers and magazines. The findings highlight the gradual infiltration of new scientific knowledge into traditional Qajar society, supplanting long-established folk practices while simultaneously presenting the inherent challenges accompanying this transition. © Journal of Research on History of Medicine.
Publication Date: 2024
Iranian Studies (00210862)57(2)pp. 197-209
Relations between Iran and the Ottoman Empire during the Safavid era were never free of tension, even when there was peace between the two states. In peacetime, both powers secretly and closely monitored the other's movements, either in anticipation of or in preparation for attacks. Due to the destruction of Safavid archives, there is little documentary information in Iranian archives about Iranian-Ottoman relations in the period, forcing us to rely mainly on chronicles and travelogues. However, the Ottoman MÜhimme Defterleri (Registers of Important Affairs), which contain a copy of all royal decrees and orders, are a very valuable source for the study of these tense and unstable relations from the Ottoman perspective. According to these registers, upon the coming to power of Shah Ismā'īl II, the Ottoman government publicly upheld and respected the terms of the Amasya Peace Treaty, while secretly looking for a pretext to resume war against Iran. The question is, however, why the Ottomans did not attack Iran immediately after Ismā'īl II's accession to the throne. Was it due, as some sources claim, to the bravery Shah Ismā'īl had previously shown in action against the Ottomans? By examining and analyzing the MÜhimme Registers of this period, the authors of the present paper demonstrate that the Ottomans had plans to invade Iran and occupy parts of its territory at the beginning of Ismā'īl II's accession, but their military campaign was thwarted by the lack of opportunities during the short period of the Safavid king's rule. Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Association for Iranian Studies.
