Abstract:

Tuberculosis, which is one of the disasters that ravages humanity, is also known as a “thin disease” among the people. Within the scope of the struggle against epidemic diseases in the first years of the Republic, the war against tuberculosis was continued for a long time with the activities of voluntary associations due to the limited financial opportunities. A large number of established associations, particularly the activities of the Izmir Anti-Tuberculosis Society, founded in 1923 and the Istanbul Anti-Tuberculosis Society, which was founded in 1927, assumed a great responsibility in guiding and helping the people in fighting tuberculosis.Dispensaries and sanatoriums come to the fore in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberclosis patients. Especially at the point of treatment, although the limited bed capacities of sanatoriums remained far from responding to the need, bed capacities were tried to be increased over time. In 1930, with the Public Health Law, tuberculosis was included among the notifiable diseases. During the Second World War, on the increase of tuberculosis spreading speed, a systematic struggle against tuberculosis was started in 1945. The B.C.G. vaccine has been started to be applied more as of 1947. Also, Turkey's National Tuberculosis Association was established in 1948. The First Tuberculosis Consultative Committee convened in 1949 and determined the plan to be carried out in the fight against tuberculosis, and the Law No. 5368 “on the war against Tuberculosis” was adopted in 1949. With the relevant law, the state's allocation of TRL 30 million to the war against tuberculosis disease within ten years, has been a sign that the struggle against tuberculosis will make great progress. The propaganda activities to increase public awareness of the fight against tuberculosis have continued until 1948 with the efforts of the Anti-Tuberculosis Societies and then Turkey National Tuberculosis Association has undertaken the organization of these activities.

Keywords: