He was born in Trabzon in 1904 (Nobel Medicus). His father, İsmail Hakkı Efendi, was a teacher of literature and French and served as chief customs director; his mother was Emine Veliye Hanım. His brother was Ord. Prof. Dr. Kâzım İsmail Gürkan, one of Türkiye’s renowned surgeons. Gürkan’s grandfather wrote poetry under the pseudonym Nef’i. He married Berhiz Hanım and had two children: Doç. Dr. Yalçın İsmail Gürkan (b. 1943), a dentist like himself, and Elçin Gürkan (b. 1939).
He completed his primary education at Zeytinlik Primary School (Cudibey Primary School – 1913) in Trabzon. He began his secondary education at the French School in Damascus, where his father was stationed, and later continued at St. Gabriel and the middle section of Beirut High School (1916). He finished his high school education at Mercan and Nişantaşı High Schools in Istanbul in 1919. He graduated in 1923 from the Dental School of Istanbul Darülfünunu Faculty of Medicine (Dentistry School).
After graduation, he practiced briefly for a short time in İzmir Karşıyaka before returning to his alma mater as an assistant in 1924. He was promoted to senior assistant in 1929. Following the 1933 University Reform, he earned the title of Associate Professor of Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery in 1937 with a thesis prepared under the supervision of Ord. Prof. Dr. Alfred Kantorowicz. Between 1938 and 1939, he conducted research in the Histology and Pathology Departments of the Faculty of Medicine under Prof. Dr. Tibor Peterfi and Prof. Dr. Philipp Schwartz, after which he established the Dental Histology Service at his own institution. In 1941, he became a Professor in the Department of Dental Diseases and Treatment, and ten years later he was appointed head of the same department (Ordinary Professorship).
Throughout his tenure, Prof. Dr. Gürkan led the establishment of various subunits within the Department of Dental Diseases and Treatment, including periodontology, endodontics, pedodontics (pediatric dentistry), and dental radiology, as well as an ozone unit. He also taught the courses “History and Deontology of Dentistry.”
After retiring from Istanbul University in 1972, he also served at the School of Dentistry affiliated with the Istanbul Academy of Economic and Commercial Sciences, from which he retired for the second time in 1979.
Prof. Dr. Suat İsmail Gürkan was a person deeply interested in art and culture alongside his scientific work. Inspired by family tradition, he engaged with Turkish music, studied under masters such as Bursalı Küçük Cemal and Sami Bey, and composed his own pieces. Several of his works are archived in TRT. Some of these include:
“Çok çekti bu biçare gönül yarin elinden (Hicaz)”, “Gel toplayalım inciler aşkın denizinden (Hüseynî)”, “Gittin amma ki kodun hasret ile canı bile (Suzinak)”.
He was known to have mastered Turkish as well as French, German, English, Arabic, and Persian. He produced significant works on the history and deontology of dentistry and is particularly recognized for studies such as “Manuscript Book on Dentistry Written During the Reign of Sultan Süleyman.” He was also a collector of historical materials and books related to his field.
Prof. Dr. Suat İsmail Gürkan, who served Turkish dentistry and education for 57 years, passed away in Istanbul on 3 November 1983.
Birth and Family
Educational Journey
Academic and Professional Career
Administrative Roles and Founding Positions
Multifaceted Personality: Music, Writing, and Languages
Death