Şânîzâde Mehmed Atâullah Efendi (1771?–1826), who is the author of the first modern anatomy book Mir’âtü’l-Ebdân fî Teşrîhi Âzâü’l-İnsân in the Ottoman Empire

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Şânîzâde Mehmed Atâullah Efendi (Fig. 1) was born in Ortaköy, Istanbul, in the 1770s (probably 1771) [1]. He died on August 5, 1826 [2]. Although he died about two centuries ago, the knowledge about him is very limited [1]. After he graduated from the madrasah in 1786, he studied at the Süleymaniye Medical Madrasa and Halıcıoğlu Engineering School [3]. However, it is not known before which education was gotten [1]. While he was studying at Süleymaniye Medical Madrasa, he got medical education from Hekimbaşı Numan Efendi and then from European physicians. He knew Arabic, Persian, Greek, Italian, and French languages well [1, 2]. He was also interested in calligraphy, painting, music, watchmaking, and hunting. He had worked in various positions in state affairs. Despite his graduation from the Süleymaniye Medical Madrasa and his many significant medical books, there is no record of practicing medicine in the palace or any hospital [1].

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