By the rivers of Babylon: the 1889-cholera outbreak in Iraq, production of medical knowledge, and construction of scientific periphery

Abstract

By examining the 1889 cholera outbreak in the Iraqi Ottoman provinces, this article explores the global dynamics of medical knowledge production at the turn of the nineteenth century. While the 1892-1893 outbreak is typically viewed as a pivotal moment in the history of cholera with the triumph of germ theory, this study investigates an earlier epidemic to analyze both the transformation of medical understanding and the complex knowledge exchanges between Western and Eastern scientific communities. The article critically examines the hierarchical structures that mediated scientific communication, revealing how established power dynamics shaped the circulation of medical knowledge. By examining these intellectual networks this article demonstrates how contemporary scientific discourse constructed and reinforced the concept of scientific periphery. By doing so, this study seeks to integrate Baghdad into broader narratives of global medical history and scientific knowledge production.