Agop Handanyan

Dr. Agop Handanyan (born 1834, Diyarbakir, Ottoman Turkey - died October 30, 1899 Constantinople, Ottoman Turkey) was a respected physician, writer, translator, professor, and author of the first forensic science book in Ottoman Turkey. He was of Armenian descent.

Agop Handanyan was born in Diyarbakir but moved to Istanbul at the age of 5. He first studied at the local Armenian Jemaran Lyceum in the Asiatic part of Constantinople. After graduating from the Lyceum, he pursued a medical career. In 1860, he finished his studies at the Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Şahane, which was the first Medical school in the Ottoman Empire. in 1878, he became the professor of the Military Medical Academy after Serovpe Vicenyan, a professor of Armenian origin, decided to step down. He later worked for the general archives of the Assembly of Civil Medical School.

Having known French very well, Agop Handanyan completed the important task of translating works of French medical books into Ottoman Turkish. He first translated Briant and Choude books from the French into English in 1875. His then wrote the Tıbb-ı Kanunî in 1877, which was a translation from the French. This was followed by a Toxicology study called Kimya-yi Kanunî in 1885. These books are considered the first Medical books in Turkish History.