Objectives: In this study, we aimed to present the urological surgeries performed in 1949 and their results recorded by Dr. Hayri Meric (1909 to October 8, 1968).
Materials and Methods: We analyzed the 64-page brochure written by Dr. Hayri Meric that was published in 1950 by Halk Dili Press (Gaziantep, Turkey).
Results: Meric reported that 738 patients were hospitalized in the surgical clinic of Gaziantep Hometown Hospital in 1949. Surgical intervention was performed in 473 (64.1%) of these patients. Forty-nine patients had received surgery for urological reasons, of whom 48 (97.9%) were cured and 1 (2.1%) died (diagnosed with prostate enlargement). In addition to his practice as a physician, Meric also brought necessary regulations as a hospital manager and emphasized the importance of communication.
Conclusions: Dr. Hayri Meric was a surgeon who became a role model to his colleagues by his demonstration of the value of proper keeping of medical records for transfer of information to future generations, and he emphasized the importance of patient-physician and physician-physician communication.

Key words : History of nephrology, Surgical intervention, Urological pathology

Introduction

Gaziantep Memleket (Hometown) Hospital was the first official state hospital to serve in Gaziantep after the establishment of the Turkish Republic. It started to operate in 1927 under the Special Administration.¹ In this study, we aimed to present the urological surgeries performed in 1949 as recorded by Dr. Hayri Meric (1909 to October 8, 1968).

Materials and Methods

We analyzed the 64-page brochure written by Dr. Hayri Meric and published in 1950 by Halk Dili Press (Gaziantep, Turkey). In this brochure, Meric stated that he began work as a single surgeon in the hospital on November 30, 1948, and was the hospital’s chief physician since May 30, 1949. In light of the information he presented, we recorded the number of patients admitted to the surgical clinic, how many urological operations were performed, which pathological causes played a role in urological surgeries, and how the operations resulted.

Results

There were 738 patients hospitalized in the surgical clinic of Gaziantep Hometown Hospital in 1949. Surgical interventions were performed in 473 (64.1%) of these patients. Of these 473 patients, 439 (92.8%) were cured, 5 (1.03%) recovered, 6 (1.23%) were discharged, and 23 (4.8%) died. Operative procedures were performed in 49 (10.3%) of 473 patients due to urological pathologies in the surgery service.

Existing urological pathologies in 49 patients were testicular diseases, prostate enlargement, bladder stone, bladder papilloma, urinary tract stricture, kidney stone, kidney trauma, vesicorectal fistula, penile deformity, and phimosis. Forty-eight (97.9%) of the urological interventions resulted in a cure, and 1 (2.1%) resulted in death diagnosed with prostate enlargement (Table 1). Meric also mentions hospital-related problems in his records and emphasizes the importance of correct communication between physicians and patients.

Discussion

Dr. Hayri Meric stated that since the hospital was established, a clinic protocol book had not been kept, so a comparison with previous years was not possible.^1,2 To our knowledge, the data presented by the author for those years represent one of the first official records. This situation reveals to us the high value of proper keeping of medical records with regard to transfer of information to future generations.

As shown in Table 1, it is notable for a country trying to recover after the War of Independence that almost all surgical interventions have been achieved despite the limited number of health workers. In addition, Dr. Hayri Meric has graciously pointed out the issues to be considered in the relations between physician-physician and physician-patient in detail. He requested from self-employed physicians in those years not to refer the patient to the hospital they examined in their office or inspected at home, with a paper stating that “he/she needs to be hospitalized.” He emphasized that the patient might need to be hospitalized but that the patient could be referred initially to the polyclinics. In addition, he noted that the doctor who worked in the emergency department was always ready for emergency cases and could guide the patients. Finally, Meric stated that, if the service chief or the doctor in the emergency department could not hospitalize those patients, then the physicians would have great sadness and embarrassment.

Meric emphasized that physicians working in the emergency department were in a difficult situation because the doctor who referred the patient could not fulfil his request. Again, it was emphasized that this situation caused the patient and his relatives, who could not fulfil the request for hospitalization, to address the chief of the service or the doctor with unpleasant words.

Meric observed that the number of hospital beds in Gaziantep Memleket Hospital had been 75 since 1949, and then the number of hospital beds increased to 100. The author notes, “The hospital has been working with eight doctors and five nurses, an unprecedented number since its establishment.”^1,2 At least 3 to 4 times more doctors work in a hospital with 100 beds nowadays, which is one of the most important indicators of how the physicians had worked devotedly under the challenging conditions in those years. Therefore, we should be grateful to the physicians who worked hard in the past and for giving us a lead. In addition, the successful imple-mentation of urological surgeries by a single surgeon in the challenging conditions of that period is admirable.

Conclusions

The hospital records of Hayri Meric are meaningful in knowing what is done with devotion in a hospital where the physical conditions are insufficient and the number of health workers is limited. Moreover, it shows that physicians should be excellent examples of management skills and communication as well as the execution of the medical profession.

References:

1. Hayri Meric. Gaziantep Hometown Hospital History and Studies in 1949. Halk Dili Press; 1950.
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2. Bayrak S, Meriç M. A Doctor in Gaziantep. Gaziantep Hometown Hospital Chief Physician Memoirs of Dr. Hayri Meriç. Emsal Printing and Promotion Services; 2022.
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