Insanity in the reign of Abdiilhamid II (1876-1909)

Abstract

This study tried to identify the status of insane in the mind of the state during the Abdiilhamid II's reign. The main issue of this study is the contradiction between the position of the insane and insanity in the Abdiilhamid 's era and his charitable and protector sultan image. In this regard, the meaning of insanity and the insane in the mind of the Ottoman society and the Ottoman Empire during the era of Abdi.ilhamid II has been questioned. The Ottoman asylums, the practices in these asylums, the Ottoman psychiatrists and their studies have been analyzed. Therefore, the position of the insane and insanity in Abdiilhamid II's era has been clarified. The primary sources that are the basis of this study are the official documents written by the Security and Internal Affairs in the Prime Minister Ottoman Archive, the notes of the Ottoman psychiatrists, and the papers published in Servet-i Fi.infm.|Key words: Abdülhamid Ottoman Empire, II, insanity, insane, asylums, modernization, Ottoman psychiatrists, legitimacy, charity.