Medical curricula in ancient Iraq
In ancient Iraq, the methods of thought in Mesopotamia were based on a religious and scientific basis, so magic and divination were considered two branches of science. On this basis, magic and divination were applied to the science of medicine. This matter was taught to students in schools affiliated with temples run by priests, and the graduate was considered a healer. It requires him to study for many years with experimental practice in order to be considered a skilled practicing healer. Treatment of the patient was based on two medical lines - the first - the scientific healing method known as - Asoto - the second - the magical treatment known as - Ashibuto - as the cuneiform texts indicated that the Babylonians knew Diagnosing diseases by relying on the ear, mouth, and heart They knew the heart rate and the passage of blood through the arteries. The religious prohibition on experiments and training on the bodies of the deceased and dissecting them hindered this science from expanding. They relied on the role of the priests of the Fal in dissecting the corpses of animals and careful observation of their organs under the pretext of observing the divination - workings - of the liver and lung, and the possibility of measurement remains between Diseases and functions of the body of animals sacrificed to the gods or used in divination, and between diseases and functions of the human body is just speculation if it is known that the ancient people of Iraq attributed human diseases to the influence of demons - the doctor was known in the Sumerian language as -Asu - which means the one who knows water and the promise of the Sumerian god -Nanazu- The god of medicine and the goddess - Kula - the protector of medicine. This is confirmation of the Sumerian belief that disease is the result of the entry of demons - germs - To the human being, the treatment is by reciting incantations on water so that the patient drinks it and it enters the body and expels the malicious demons from it. The Babylonians used magic to treat the sick, and the god - Enki - was the god of wisdom in the pantheon of the Babylonian gods, and he was entrusted with magic. That is why the god - Marduk - the chief of the Babylonian gods, taught. The secrets and arts of magic. Therefore, the disease resorts to the priest, who prays to the god - Marduk - to save the patient from the evils of evil spirits, and the god - Marduk - goes to his father, the god - Ea - to present to him the condition of the patient seeking help, and from his father, the god - Ea - he takes the necessary experience and the measures that must be taken to treat that condition. The condition and recovery of the patient, and since the god - Ea - is the god of wisdom and one of the gods of knowledge and writing, therefore the consultation process was carried out by the god - Marduk - His father had the status of a professor and a student between them - but this method was not sufficient in treating patients, and the beginnings of treatment methods moved towards the use of materials whose therapeutic value was proven and were linked to the patient’s condition. An example of this is that a patient suffering from the disease - jaundice - takes a yellow remedy that contains calcium components - as found in cuneiform texts. Its educational description revealed how to treat many diseases and perform surgical operations and the list of body parts that relate to some phrases to describe the parts of the body. It also showed the government’s interest in the necessity of the doctor’s mastery of his profession and his academic and professional progression, as evidenced by the presence of nine legal articles in the Code of Hammurabi that concern those who perform surgical operations and determine the price of each operation. And the penalties resulting from medical errors - And how the doctor spent a long time in medical study and worked as an apprentice with an older colleague, informing him of the secrets of medicine. Al-Tayyib - Aso - was not a priest or a magician, but rather a member of the upper classes of society - The ancient inhabitants of Mesopotamia were interested in writing medical topics according to the educational dialect, and among them was This medical model refers to observing a patient’s nose - and as follows - if blood flows from the patient’s nose - if blood drips from his nose, it is mixed - if the tip of his nose is wet - if the tip of his nose indicates white and red inflammation - and then to estimate the results on the expected scientific level and make a diagnosis. The treatment that is given in response to these medical hypotheses - there is another metrical text in which a medical description is given, as follows - If the disease has reached inside the bone, you must scrape it and remove it - and in the Kassite era, Babylonian cuneiform texts revealed the treatment of a male or female singer in a medical center affiliated with one of the temples in the city of Nefer, the religious capital of the Sumerians, the ruins of which currently include the city of Afak within the Diwaniyah Governorate, as mentioned. In the aforementioned text, there are schools teaching medicine in the city of Warka. However, in northern Mesopotamia, specifically in the archaeological sites of the Assyrian capital, Nineveh, a number of surgical instruments and equipment were found, including a bronze knife, a saw, glass knives, and skull drills. The doctor was Of the Assyrian king - Esarhaddon - 680-669 BC, called - Bel-Ubani - a number of assistant doctors worked under his command. As was mentioned in royal letters in the annals of some Assyrian kings, the names of patients and types of medicines are numerous - and there are other medical prescriptions in ancient Iraq, including the use of opium orally with sedatives to treat urinary retention, and according to the following recipe - grind the poppy seeds with beer and make the patient drink it - then grind some Myrrh - a resinous gum - and mix it with oil, then inflate it, i.e. the urethra, with a bronze tube - and it seems that the kings of ancient Iraq sought the help of some skilled doctors to develop medical curricula, which were instructions that took their official status when the kings saw them, including a letter from one of the doctors called - Arad-Nana - in which he explained The Assyrian king - Ashurbanipal - 668-626 BC - had his point of view on treating nosebleeds. Below is the text of the letter: -- As for nosebleeds - bandages were not used appropriately if they were placed on the side of the nose so that they interfere with inhaling air and blood flows into the nose - the nose should be closed until the end to block the entry of air and then the bleeding will stop - the ancient kings of Mesopotamia had paid attention Officially in the medical profession, they stressed the necessity of mastering it and studying it in schools and educational institutions in order to qualify skilled doctors -----
Sources
Book of curricula and teaching methods - for ancient Mesopotamia - pp. 107-108- 109- 110-111- 112 - Dr. Ahmed Abis Fairouz
The Book of the Greatness of Babylon - 539-541 - Dr. Harry Suggs
The Old Iraq Book - pp. 490 - 493 - 494 - George Rowe