Tārīkh-i pizishkī i.e., Medical History

Abstract

Background and Aim: The book "Qarabadin-e Salehi", compiled during the Zand dynasty in Iran, contains valuable historical information. Some of the medicines mentioned in this book have specific historical names, a known history of recognition and a clear date of creation. This research aims to extract and categorize the compound medicines with historical names and backgrounds mentioned in the book "Qarabadin-e Salehi".

Methods: The present qualitative research is based on the lithographic version of Tehran of the book "Qarabadin-e Salehi", dating back to the year 1283 AH (1866 CE). This version itself is derived from five existing manuscripts in Iran, which are as follows: The manuscript held in the Astan Quds Library (N: 10256, 1782 AD); School of Medicine of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (N: 210, 1824 AD & N: 209, 1837 AD); Bu-Ali Sina University (N: 20, 1848 AD) and Astane Qudse Razavi (N: 7816, 13th century). In this research, first, based on the documentation available in the book, 25 frequently mentioned categories of compound drugs have been classified alphabetically. Subsequently, data related to the medical history of the drugs, such as the date of preparation and the name of the drug's creator, which represent the historical identity of each drug, have been reviewed and analyzed.

Ethical Considerations: The authenticity of the existing manuscript of the book "Qorabadin-e- Salehi" as well as the intellectual property rights of the authors have been taken into account.

Results: The historical information preserved about the names of drugs indicates that the most common applications were related to potions, pills, jowarishes (a type of traditional medicinal preparation) and tablets; although there are also records of other types of drugs that demonstrate their connection to their creators. The results of studies suggest that the majority of drugs and their creators were influenced by Greek traditions. However, an approximate analysis of the data and the diversity of the history of drug categories reveal that not all creators belonged to a specific geographical region and it appears that there were few geographical limitations in the production and consumption of drugs. Nevertheless, the history of creating certain notable compound drugs with unique medicinal properties cannot be overlooked. These properties are clearly evident in the innovation of new drug categories.

Conclusion: Gharabadin-e Salehi is a highly valuable source of information in history of medicine.