Besim Ömer Akalın

Besim Ömer Akalın (1 July 1862 – 19 March 1940) was a Turkish social democratic politician and physician He first emphasized in Turkey the fact that nursing was a separate discipline and should be taught in a specialized program. Between 1935 and 1940, he served as a member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. His image was depicted on a former Turkish postcard stamp.

Early life

Besim Ömer was born in the Ottoman capital of Constantinople on July 1, 1862, to Ömer Şevki Pasha, a deputy of Sinop Province in the first Ottoman Parliament, and his wife Afife. He had a sister Mecide, and three brothers Azmi, Agah and Kemal Ömer.

He finished the primary education in Pristina, then in the Ottoman Empire. He began the secondary education in Kosovo, completed in Kuleli Military Medicine High School . He then studied at the Imperial Medicine College graduating with distinction in 1885.

Besim Ömer Akalın died on 19 March 1940, in Ankara.

Major works