Abstract
To expose the knowledge and approaches on gynecology, obstetrics and pediatrics in Ravżat al-Nisā (Gardens of Women), which is taken into account as work by poet physician Nidai of Ankara in the literature is aimed in this study. The copy of Ravżat al-Nisā, which is in Kütahya, Tavşanlı, Zeytinoğlu Public Library, Nr: 581/2 was studied. The work was transliterated into contemporary Turkish alphabet and then the situation of the work in Turkish history of medicine was tried to be determined, comparing the findings from work with the knowledge and approaches in the medical works, which were written before and after Ravżat al-Nisā. Ravżat al-Nisā consists of nine sections; the first three of them are completely and the fourth section is partially present and the rest of the pamphlet is absent in this copy. It is possible to say that herbal, animalistic materials and minerals, with the aim of both empirical and magical, and sometimes religious methods were frequently used to cope with diseases and no distinction was observed between these methods. Although it is considered that the first work on obstetrics and pediatrics was Tadbir al-Mawlud by poet physician Şifā’ī of Ayaş in the history of Turkish medicine literature, this study revealed that Ravżat al-Nisā, if not exclusively, is one of the earliest works written separately on these subjects in Ottoman Empire. If Nidai is accepted as the writer of Ravżat al-Nisā, it is possible to propound that this work revealed that Nidai spent a part of his life in Gediz-Kütahya and it also conveyed Nidai’s date of death as “after 1574” instead of “after 1567”
Keywords: <i>Ravzatü’n-nisa, çocuk sağlığı ve hastalıkları, kadın hastalıkları ve doğum, Türk tıp tarihi, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu</i>