Safiye Ali: Google honors Turkey’s first female medical doctor on 127th birthday

Happy Birthday Safiye Ali!

Google today dedicates an enthralling doodle to Safiye Ali on her 127^th birthday. She was a Turkish physician. She is remembered as the first female medical doctor of the Republic of Turkey.

Safiye Ali was born on February 2, 1894 in Istanbul. She spent her student years in Germany as a very involved student. She helped German doctors in their offices even on holidays, studied, and took lessons in philosophy and history. In the test to get the doctor's title, she was the only Turk in the exam and her goal was to get first place.

During an era when education was largely a male domain, Safiye Ali attended the American College for Girls in Istanbul, and there she set her sights on becoming a doctor. She also traveled to Germany on a scholarship to pursue a degree from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Würzburg.

Safiye Ali was not just a clinical doctor. Her goals were way above that. She also made history as the first female lecturer to teach medicine to girls by giving gynecology and obstetrics lessons at the first girls' medical school established within the American College.

Safiye Ali not only used to treat patients, but she also led numerous impactful organizations like Süt Damlası (Milk Drop), which worked to provide education and medical services to mothers and young children. Committed to the power of education, she wrote multiple books and eventually taught at the American College for Girls.

Many male colleagues of Safiye Ali used to harass her while performing her profession and tried to be silenced by the baseless accusations made against her, resolutely continued her struggle until the day that she realized a mass in her chest. After being diagnosed with cancer, she settled in Germany. She continued her services there, despite her illness during the years of World War II. Her 58-year successful life ended in Dortmund.

Emphasizing the superiority of breast milk over all milk, Safiye Ali encouraged women to breastfeed. She organized training for malnourished children to have a healthy diet. By sending nurses to homes, she had the mother's implementation of the education checked. She did these voluntarily for no charge. In addition, she established the Hilal-i Ahmer Ladies Center Little Children Practice. In this institution, which is like the continuation of Süt Damlası, the difference was the age of the children.

Safiye Ali died on July 5, 1952 at the age of 58. Google today honors her on her 127^th birthday with a beautiful doodle for her contribution in the health sector in Turkey.

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