Introduction
When the first postage stamps were issued in the 1840s for the payment of postage fare, they frequently depicted the portrayals of royal figures like Queens, political figures like Presidents, and national pioneers. Shortly after the first postage stamps were introduced, other subjects and designs began to emerge, in order to inform people about pioneers, recent developments and achievements that made significant contributions to mankind 1-4.
As a natural consequence, collectors were attracted by this area and philately, which by definition is simply known as collecting postage stamps, was born. Throughout years many thematic types of philately, such as industrial philately, historical philately, nature philately etc., emerged. Medical philately is known as collecting medicine related postage stamps and other philatelic materials such as first day covers and memory cards 5, 6.
There are some studies about stamps, regarding orthopedics, anesthesia, cardiology, dentistry, anatomy, illnesses like tuberculosis, cancer, Down Syndrome and AIDS 4, 5, 7-14, or famous medical celebrities. Stamps dedicated to the Obstetrics and Gynecology field are usually printed in order to (a) pay tribute to the pioneers of Obstetrics and Gynecology, (b) commemorate important Obstetrics and Gynecology Facilities & Hospitals, (c) announce solid improvements and innovations in the field and educate general public about a medical discovery or promote health programs, or (d) memorialize important meetings.
The daily use of postage stamps is decreasing due to the newer, faster and easier communication methods because of the recent technological developments, postage stamps are still among the best mediums to convey messages to broad audience.
In this study, we tried to provide an overview of philatelic materials related to Gynecolgy and Obstetrics.