Database: Doctors (Revelations)

Because of Constantinople's unique geographic position on the boundary between Europe and Asia, doctors in the Ottoman Empire were well versed in the traditions of Eastern and Western medicine, which meant – depending on your perspective – that they were either doubly educated or doubly confused. From the Greeks, the Ottomans had inherited a fondness for bloodletting and the application of leeches to cure diseases, and from the Turks they retained a passion for cauterizing wounds and convalescing in hot springs. Herbal folk-medicines were also in widespread use. One Ottoman medicinal tome names over 600 different herbs with purported medicinal properties.

Despite the nascent state of medicine at the time, the Ottoman Empire was notable for the fact that its hospitals charged no fees. Citizens with money, however, were still more likely to hire private physicians. Some things never change, do they?