The next Congress of the International Society for the History of Medicine will be held in Istanbul, September 1-6 2002. Its main topics will be, among others, "Medieval medicine", "Medicine in the Near East through history" and "The relation between Turkish medicine and the medicine of Eastern and Western Worlds".

In this context, I am organizing a panel on the following topic:

Medicine and inter-cultural exchanges:
Byzantium, the Arabic World, the Ottoman Empire

The panel will be devoted to the circulation of medical knowledge in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Late Middle Ages, especially during the 15th and 16th centuries in the Balkans and Asia minor, with a particular attention to Constantinople. The focus will be on the channels of the transfer, its places and actors, together with its impact on knowledge, that is, the transformation of medicine due to its passage from one culture to another.

Contributions based on the analysis of primary sources (including the reports of Western diplomats and explorers) are most welcome. Comparative work would be particularly appreciated. Papers could deal with topics like texts and translations, books and libraries, teaching, sanitary structures, patronage or, and for example, treatment of diseases.

Please, send as soon as possible proposed title, first abstract, together with full name and affiliation to : atouwaide@hotmail.com

Here are two important deadlines:

November 15, 2001: abstract submission
May 1, 2002: early registration

For further information on the Congress:

- President: Prof. Dr. Nil SARI
nilsa@turk.net OR nilasari@istanbul.edu.tr

- Secretary : Dr. Yesim ISIL ULMAN
yesimul@yahoo.com OR yesimul@superonline.com

- Organizer : Cnidus Congress & Tourism Agency
sibel@cnidus-tr.com OR cnidus@cnidus-tr.com

Hoping to meet you on the shores of the Bosporus, best regards.

A. TOUWAIDE
atouwaide@hotmail.com

E-mail enquiries: atouwaide@hotmail.com

Submission deadline: 15 November 2001

Organized by: International Society for the History of Medicine