A quantitative and methodological analysis of neurocranial terminology in Hristo Stambolski’s Miftah-ı Teşrih (1874)

This study presents the first systematic analysis of neurocranial terminology in Miftah-ı Teşrih (1874), translated from the French Petit Atlas Complet d’Anatomie Descriptive du Corps Humain into Ottoman Turkish by Hristo Stambolski, a prominent anatomy instructor at the Imperial Medical School (Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Şahane). The research evaluates the technical accuracy and alignment of the work with modern standards, reflecting the institution’s vision to synchronize medical education with universal scientific norms. A total of 75 unique neurocranial terms were compared with modern Terminologia Anatomica (TA2) standards based on five methodological parameters (P1–P5). Findings reveal a high degree of precise semantic correspondence (P1) of 85.3% (n = 64) between Stambolski’s terminology and TA2. Key observations include the use of sophisticated technical terms such as Mîzâbe-i Kehfiyye (Carotid sulcus) and instances of pedagogical simplification, such as Kavs-ı Hâcibî, which encompasses both the Arcus superciliaris and Margo supraorbitalis. Additionally, historical localization shifts in terms such as Eminentia orbitalis (İrtifâ’-ı Hacâcî) were identified. Stambolski’s work represents a successful transmission of 19th-century French neuroanatomical tradition into Ottoman medical literature. This high terminological fidelity, integrated with a corporate strategy to unify medical language, positions Miftah-ı Teşrih as a critical bridge between historical anatomical tradition and modern neuroscience terminology.