Cannot die...

While waiting for the İZBAN Menemen commuter train at Alsancak Station with my wife, Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. Çetin Yılmaz and his wife called out to me as I hurried past them: "Hello, Professor, the years haven't worn you down. Do you recognize me? You were our senior in medical school. We are the 1979 graduates of Ege University Faculty of Medicine, and you are from the class of 1976." It was impossible for me to recognize them. Years had passed. We exchanged greetings, and I joked about aging, saying, "I drink 'cannot-die' tea, that's why I'm trying to preserve my youth." Even though I said, "I have an appointment with Bayraklı Mayor İrfan Önal. I'm in a bit of a rush. Excuse me. I need to make it to the İzmir Medical Chamber's (İTO) 50th-anniversary plaque ceremony. I need to return to the Alsancak Chamber of Architects," they replied, "We are going to Bayraklı too," and so our journey together began.

The train arrived.

Even during the mayor's visit, I couldn't stand still due to the excitement of the İTO ceremony at the İzmir Chamber of Architects' Grand Hall.

Beyond the happiness of successfully completing a 50-year, half-century-long medical career, I also felt the sadness of realizing that my age had reached its peak.

During the ceremony, I met many of my classmates. How quickly the years have passed.

I received my plaque from the hands of the İTO Board Chairman, Dr. F. Yüce Ayhan. After photos and brief chats, we left the hall.

As a physician with a plaque and half a century of experience, I walked home on a cool İzmir evening, reflecting a bit on the history of the medical profession.

Our country is surrounded like a powder keg. It is the 14th day of the Middle East war. I pictured the medical students who, on March 14, 1919, led by Tıbbiyeli Hikmet, protested the occupation of Istanbul by hoisting the Turkish flag between the towers of the Faculty of Medicine of that day, initiating the resistance. March 14 is a symbol of standing up against imperialism like lions.

And it also emphasizes the importance of medical education. Medical students have celebrated that day, which began with resistance, as Medicine Day ever since.

This year, the March 14 Medicine Day ceremonies were held on Friday, March 13, 2026. Following the ceremonies, İTO officials and doctors from all over Turkey gathered in Ankara to protest and voice both the US-Iran war in the Middle East and the problems and difficulties regarding the working and living conditions of doctors and healthcare workers.

If I continue with what comes to mind regarding the past...

Hippocrates (460-370 BC), the founder of modern science-based medicine, is a child of this geography. He was born in Kos (İstanköy). He also founded the first modern medical school in Kos. Since that day, the medical profession has begun with the Hippocratic Oath. By the way, don't today's lawyers have an oath?

In our country, modern medical education was initiated centuries later, on March 14, 1827. We will celebrate its 200th anniversary next year. I hope it will be celebrated with a great event in a beautiful, peaceful environment without war.

My wife, Dr. Esen Demir, and I met at home after she finished a long day of patient care, at the peak of her 48-year medical career. After dinner, while relaxing on the sofa, we watched the final episode of Yılmaz Erdoğan's "İnci Taneleri" (Pearl Grains). I watched it partly out of necessity, and also remembering that Mr. Devlet Bahçeli had mentioned "Dilber" in a statement at the beginning, I watched it to the end. I was a bit late to the party!

In the finale of the show, pavilion dancer Dilber (Hazar Ergüçlü) and literature teacher Azem Yücedağ (Yılmaz Erdoğan) climb a hill towards the end of the series. Azem points with his hand to the distant Köyceğiz Ölemez Mountain and ends with the legendary words of Lokman Hekim: "On the slopes overlooking Köyceğiz lake, (one cannot die here even if they want to)." I recommend you see Köyceğiz and especially Ölemez Mountain.

Let us also mention Lokman Hekim, who gave his name to many health institutions and had a profound influence on the Anatolian people...

He is a wise figure mentioned in the Quran, granted deep wisdom, knowledge, and the knowledge of healing by Allah. In Islamic and Turkish culture, he is the master of medical science, the ancestor of physicians, and has become immortalized through medicinal plants.

Speaking of medicinal plants, let me conclude my article with "immortelle" (golden herb - the plant of eternal youth).

Try to keep immortelle (helichrysum), which is widely found in the highlands of the Teke region and whose tea is consumed for healing, in your homes upon the recommendation of İsmet Dim from the Göcek Nomads.

Its benefits? Let me summarize briefly; besides its golden-yellow flowers, it strengthens the immune system with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, making it useful in preventing many diseases, especially rheumatic ones. It is particularly sought after by women because it combats aging (anti-aging) and reduces age-related wrinkles. In addition to eczema, it contributes to various skin diseases and weight loss, and therefore to the regular functioning of the digestive system.

If you can't find it at the herbalists! And if you ask how and where it is found and collected? Come, let's collect it together with the Göcek Nomads on the roads of Pırnaz Plateau in the last week of June.

I wish you a happy Ramadan Feast, which falls on the weekend.

Stay healthy...

Prof. Dr. Nurettin DEMİR