II. Abdülhamid döneminde kurulan ve Osmanlı Devleti'nin en önemli kurumları arasında yer alan Osmanlı Hilâl-i Ahmer Cemiyeti, faaliyetleri ile dönemin en önemli yardım derneği olmuştur. Cemiyet’in kuruluşu, Cenevre’de oluşturulan Kızılhaç’ın temeli olarak kabul edilen; 17 Şubat 1863 tarihli komisyonda “Uluslar Arası Askeri Yaralılara Yardım Derneği” adı altında bir dernek oluşturulması ile başlamıştır. Osmanlı Devleti her ne kadar oluşturulan ilk Cenevre komisyonuna delege göndermediyse de, diğer ülkelere tanınan bir yıllık süreyi kaçırmamış, 5 Temmuz 1865'te Cenevre mukavelesini imzalayarak Kırımlı Dr. Aziz Bey'inde katkılarıyla Marko Paşa başkanlığında “Mecruhin ve Mardayı Askeriyeye İmdat ve Muavenet Cemiyeti" kurulmuştur. Cemiyet II Abdülhamit tahta çıkana kadar bir varlık gösterememiş, 14 Nisan 1877 tarihinde, Osmanlı Hilal-i Ahmer Cemiyeti adını alarak resmen kurulmuştur. II Abdülhamit döneminde kuruluşunu yeni tamamlayan Osmanlı Hilal-i Ahmer Cemiyeti kurulduğu yıl çıkan 1877 – 1878 Osmanlı-Rus Savaşı sırasında kendini göstermiş ve ilk ciddi imtihanını bu savaş sırasında vermiştir. Osmanlı Devleti, bu savaşta çok fazla kayıp yaşamış, savaş esnasında yararlılara yeterli yardımın yapılamaması ve ordunun sürekli kan kaybetmesi Osmanlı Hilal-i Ahmer Cemiyeti için aslında ne kadar geç kalındığının kanıtı olmuştur. Cemiyet, bu savaşta en fazla Plevne müdafaasında kendini göstermiştir. Muhacirler için kurulmuş olanlarla birlikte İstanbul’da cephe ve cephe gerisinde irili ufaklı 28 tane Osmanlı Hilal-i Ahmer Cemiyeti hastanesi kurulmuştur. Savaşın ardından II. Abdülhamid, savaştan bu denli ağır bir yenilgiyle çıkılmasını Meclis-i Mebusan’ın göstermiş olduğu dirayetsizliğe bağlayarak anayasanın feshini ve meclisin kapatılmasını emretmiştir. Bu dönemde Osmanlı Devleti içerisinde birçok kurum ve kuruluşun çalışmalarına kısıtlama getirilmiş bu kısıtlamalardan Osmanlı Hilal-i Ahmer Cemiyeti’de nasibini almıştır. Cemiyet bu tarihten sonra çalışmalarına ara vermiştir. Bu suskunluk 1897’de patlak veren Osmanlı– Yunan savaşına kadar devam etmiş, savaşın bitiminde cemiyet yeniden dağılmıştır.

Humanity has experienced many destruction and chaos throughout history. Sometimes with the help of state trying to overcome these difficulties have tried to overcome these shortages. But such and such losses have occurred destruction on earth, a state that has not been possible to overcome with their own resources. This kind of chaos, people in government and politics has given rise to the idea of establishing an institution later. XIX. century began with the establishment of an international community will be engaged in the treatment of the wounded and sick, regardless of any discrimination in the growing idea that in times of peace and times of war in Europe by Swiss Jean Henry Dunant. However, formal and institutional sense in the history of systematized this idea was launched in August 1864 by the Geneva Conventions. In Geneva, three of the decisions made by countries participating in the conference is very important for the history of nations and the international community's decisions will form the basis of the organization. The Ottoman state was the fourteenth state contract signed July 5, 1865. Will become a fashion in the Ottoman society, socio-cultural society has taken on an identity that embodies the enlightened intellectuals of that era. The foundations of the institution, Marko Pasha headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Medical "Mecruh and March-i Army in Emergency and Auxiliary Society" and was discarded. In 1876 military medical school;-i-ii associated with sanitary held a meeting in the sumptuous hall where the representatives of all the units. At the meeting held in the presidential Marko Pasha; Ottoman Hilal-i Ahmer Society's symbol, a regulation of the preparation for the community, to start the fundraising Ad Hoc Committee and the Society's board of directors elected after submission to the board of donations collected by the Temporary Committee issues are decided. After the II Abdulhamid throne in 1876, on April 14, 1877 "Mecruh and March-i Army in Emergency and Auxiliary Society", "The Ottoman Hilal-i Ahmer Society" was officially established by the name of and action for the formation of the Central Committee. For the first time in 93 said the war as the 1877-78 Ottoman-Russian War with the help behind the front facade and prominent community on July 25, 1877 approved the Regulation entered into force. However, countries are not fully understood by society in general, especially in the state of man. Society, was called into service when needed, at the end of the war, was buried in silence again. During the Ottoman-Russian war; Founded in Istanbul in conjunction with the front and rear for refugees it was established 28 units of various sizes Ottoman Hilal-i Ahmer Society hospital. Of these, 13 in Istanbul, 15 are front and behind the hospital. 3 of them in Istanbul hospital for wounded and sick soldiers in plant unless, upon need, 10 of them are usually established for a short-term refugees. Front and behind is fixed, 6 of the 15 hospitals, 9 of them are mobile hospitals. Beylerbeyi in Istanbul, in the hospital behind the front and the pier number 5 Sirkeci Hospital Mobile Hospital has come to the fore as the most important community hospitals. These hospitals; And employ 50 doctors, 47 723 people were treated in 1607 and died one of them. 1877 - 1878 the Ottoman-Russian war has not yet completed the establishment of the new show is the war itself and the Society gave its first serious test. The Ottomans lost many in this war. Failure to do enough to help those useful for the army during the war and sustained blood loss of Hilal-i Ahmer Society that actually showed how late. II. Abdulhamid much from this war that has ordered the dissolution of the constitution dirayetsizlig connecting to exit with a heavy defeat of the National Assembly and the parliament have been shown to be shut down. During this period, have restrictions on the work of several institutions and organizations in th