Right after the discovery of X-rays one of the first applications of roentgen was accomplished by the Turkish doctors at Yildiz Temporary Military Hospital in military radiological surgery on the occasion of the 1897 Turkish-Greek war. We present this historic period, evidencing it with documents from the Ottoman Archival sources. What is important with this war is the fact that the first radiographic images have been taken successfully by the Turkish doctors.

The influences of X-ray discovery in Istanbul.While the scientific world which had met with the X-rays on December 28th 1895, was dealing with the means to utilize them, photographers and amateur physicians in Europe had started to produce radiographic images. Also in Istanbul, Monsieur Isoire, the mathematics and physics teacher at Galatasaray High School, had taken images of his 11 year old childs hand and of metal money in a purse and the photographer Halit Bey had detected the pieces of lead in a pencil...

The German Red Cross medical delegation had not arrived in Istanbul yet, when Dr. Salih Bey, Esat Feyzi and Rfat Osman succeeded in detecting the bullet and shrapnel pieces by X-rays in the bodies of three soldiers on May 1st, 1897. Owing to the guidance of those radiographic images captured by them at Yildiz Temporary Military Hospital by means of the roentgen apparatus they established themselves, the three soldiers were operated successfully by Dr. Cemil Pasha. The roentgen apparatus brought by the British to Greece,...

The 1897 Turkish-Greek battle witnessed huge developments in view of both medical and military radiology in the world. That war has been the first occasion that radiographic imaging techniques were used extensively on the wounded soldiers at both fronts soon after the discovery of X-rays.

1- Servet-i Fnn, No. 277, 20 Haziran 1312/2 July 1896: 267, 277. 2-kil Muhtar zden: Dr. Esad Feyzi Merhum ve Bizde X Reyonu zerine lk Aratrma, lmnn 45. Yldnmnde lk Rntgencimiz Esad Feyzi. stanbul 1946; Sheyl nver: Dr. Rfat Osmana Gre Bizde Radyolojinin Balangc, Tedavi Klinii ve Laboratuar, :.7, S.28 (stanbul 1937); Tevfik Salam: Nasl Okudum. stanbul 1959, p. 567.3-Doktor Rfat:Rntgen utnn Fevid ve Mehziri, kdam, No. 4086, 10 Terinievvel 1321/23 October 1905:3.4- Yeen, Erdogan: 19.yzyilin son eyreginde Girit olaylari ve Osmanli-Yunan ve byk devletlerin...

A. Tunac*, N. Yldrm**, Y.I. Ulman***, E. Yekeler*, H. Genchellac*,M. Tunac*, G. Acunas**Department of Radiology, Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine,34390, Capa, Istanbul, Turkey. [email protected]**Professor. Istanbul University Medical School,Department of Medical Ethics and History***Ph.D. Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa MedicalSchool, Dept. of Medical Ethics and History.