The doctoring in babilon and assiria

SOURCES ON a HISTORY of MEDICINE

1) Original texts of that time executed writing on clay tables, subjects from clay, stone, metal

2) Data of archeological researches

3) Certificate of the historians (Gerodot, Beros) and scientists of various epoch

The medical knowledge was transferred orally. To the middle of the 2-nd millenium up to AD in Mesopotamia two basic directions of the doctoring were generated:

1) Asutu - art of doctors

2) Ashaputw—-art of harms

The doctors - empirics - Asu engaged the art of doctoring. The representatives of other direction referred to as Ashipu.

Representations about the reasons of illnesses it is possible to subdivid into three basic categories.

1. Connected with disturbance of ritual, legal, moral instructions.

2. Connected with natural phenomena and image of life of the people.

3. Connected with religious believes.

The doctor -Asu connected occurrence of illnesses to the natural reasons. The charm - Ashipuh

- with supernatural forces: by "hand" of a particular god, daemon or wraith, devilment.

Alongside with it ashipu admitted, that the illnesses can arise and without participation of gods or daemons, for example, as a result of a fever or "impact" in a head (which description reminds insults).

At the same time anywhere - neither in the texts Asutu, nor in the texts Ashiputu - the illnesses do not contact emanation of stars and astral cults, which in a deep antiquity in Mesopotamia did not exist yet.

By determining illness and its reason, Ashipu prior to the beginning treatment made the forecast.

The doctoring Asu was directed on simplification of illness. Asu was the large connoisseur of local medical flora and fauna. They used medical grass (mustard, caraway seeds), roots, seeds (in particular about 50 kinds of grains), vegetables (onions, garlic, salade, peas, cucumbers), leafs and fruits of trees, cedar balm, mineral means (alum, red ironclay, sulfur, salt), petroleum, products of an animal origin (honey, wax,boilled butter, blood of mandoose, fish oil, shell of Midia, leather of a goat and lamb, excrement of birds and seeps.

As against Asu in the ritual of the doctor Ashipu reading spells was main.

In storehouse of the manuscripts Ashurbanapala, the assembly of spells and ceremonial actions from 40 tables under the general name " When in the house of the patient charms goes".

In ancient Mesopotamia a structure of a body of the person was not studed (about opening bodies of dieed in the texts is not mentioned). The section of scariificial animals gave only most general representation about large internal bodies: a liver, heart, kidneys, intestine, stomach.

The help for women in delivery was made by women. According to the legal texts after death of a woman it was alowed the section of a stomach (that is cesarian section) to rescue alive of the infant.

In no one medical text there is no mention of operative treatment, there are no certificates on removal of teeth, intravital operation of cesarian section or trepanation of a skull.

The most extensive monument of the right ancient Mesopotamia are the Laws of sixth Babylon king by first dynasty of the Hammurapi. They are cut on a basalt pole of height 2,25 m, which was found out in 1901 by French archeological expedition under a management of de Morgan, with excavation of ancient Suza (in territory of modern Iran).

The laws, documents and the letters characterize Hammurapi as wise ruler, which gave large attention to economic, financial, military and judicial areas of state activity. Some paragraphs of his Laws concern legal aspects of activity of doctors. In case of successful treatment they received high compensation.

The transfer of medical knowledge was carried out in a narrow circle devoted. The schoolboys of the doctor were called Asu Agashgu.

Дата добавления: 2014-01-14