Tārīkh-i pizishkī i.e., Medical History

Background and Aim: Architecture and health are two interconnected concepts that have long been emphasized in various civilizations. In Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM), the relationship between the living environment and human health is important. Building materials, as the primary constituents of the living environment, play a decisive role in providing or threatening individuals' health and it appears that selecting appropriate building materials is a key factor in designing the built environment. This article aims to investigate the impact of building materials on human health according to ITM sources.

Methods: This qualitative research, using content analysis and relying on evidence from valid ITM sources, examined the impact of building materials on various aspects of health from the perspective of Iranian Traditional Medicine to derive a model and principles for selecting suitable materials.

Ethical Considerations: Honesty and fidelity in citing historical sources and documents were observed in this research.

Results: The results indicate that building materials, based on their four primary qualities and intrinsic properties, can influence an individual's temperament (warmth/coldness and dryness/moisture), as well as the air, humidity and temperature of the environment, thereby affecting the residents' health. In such a way that foundational, consumable and installation materials directly impact human health by affecting the air and water used by individuals. Furthermore, based on their physical and chemical properties, and by indirectly influencing the drying process of the building, they can increase or decrease its time to occupancy and affect human morale.

Conclusion: Utilizing materials aligned with temperament principles can enhance quality of life and prevent many diseases. Therefore, by adapting building materials based on the components emphasized in ITM including the temperament of materials and individuals, space function, and individual condition, with climate as the overarching key factor, it can provide a health-oriented and healing environment for people. In this regard, it seems that using warmer materials like natural wood in interior design for individuals with a cold temperament and using materials with a colder temperament compared to natural wood, such as plaster or wood products, for individuals with a warm temperament is more suitable. Also, using materials with low water absorption, like porcelain ceramics and refractory bricks, seems more appropriate for individuals with a moist temperament, while using clay bricks and conventional ceramics appears more suitable for individuals with a dry temperament.

Background and Aim: The manuscript Siyāsat al-Khayl, attributed to Wahab ibn Munabbih, is considered a less known yet significant text within the Islamic bayṭārah (veterinary) tradition. Written in a narrative style and incorporating elements of Isrāʾīliyyāt, the work offers valuable insights into the identification of equine diseases, as well as methods for training and treating it. However, stylistic and lexical discrepancies, along with the absence of similar works by Wahab ibn Munabbih, have cast doubt on the manuscript's attribution, presenting both textual and historical challenges. This study aims to investigate the authenticity of its authorship.

Methods: This research was conducted using a historical-analytical approach and a descriptive method, relying on documentary and library sources. The research data was gathered by examining manuscript number BnF Arabe 2817 held at the National Library of France. Its content was compared and analyzed against other veterinary works from the Islamic period and against works definitively attributed to Wahab ibn Munabbih

.Ethical Considerations: In conducting this study, all data and sources were meticulously examined and documented, adhering to the principles of academic integrity and research ethics.

Results: Despite the content value of Siyāsat al-Khayl in the history of Islamic veterinary medicine, codicological and analytical evidence indicates that this work was likely compiled in a later period and does not align with the established works of Wahab ibn Munabbih. Consequently, the attribution of this work to Wahab ibn Munabbih is seriously called into question.

Conclusion: Siyāsat al-Khayl should be examined within the context of the religious-narrative discourse and the production of empirical knowledge in the later Islamic centuries and should not be considered an authentic work by Wahab ibn Munabbih.

Background and Aim: In the process of medical modernization in Iran, the profession of midwifery-which was directly linked to women’s health and the government’s population policies-gradually came under state supervision and regulation. Following the enactment of the Medical Practice Law in 1911 and the establishment of institutions such as Dar al-Wiladah, Dar al-Ummahat and Dar al-Muallimat, midwives were required to complete formal training and obtain official licenses. This study examines the process and necessity of issuing midwifery licenses between 1851 and 1925 to demonstrate how governmental oversight and structured education contributed to the institutionalization of midwives within the healthcare system and the improvement of women’s health indicators.

Methods: This study employs a descriptive-analytical methodology, consistent with the documentary nature of the research.

Ethical Considerations: This research has observed all ethical requirements, including honesty, proper attribution and textual authenticity.

Results: Previous studies have examined midwifery during the Qajar era, yet none have specifically addressed the licensing process and its historical development. In the late Qajar period, stagnant population growth and high infant/maternal mortality rates prompted a series of reforms to improve public health conditions. These included the enactment of the Medical Practice Act and the establishment of healthcare institutions with regulatory oversight. Within this framework, midwifery-as a profession directly tied to maternal and neonatal health-became subject to state supervision. Following competency assessments and standardized training, formal licenses were issued to qualified midwives.

Conclusion: A review of these documents reveals that a consistent and regulated process existed for issuing licenses for midwifery, which played a significant role in establishing the professional status of midwives and reducing mortality rates.

Background and Aim: Today, the social history approach plays a significant role in analyzing medical history and accurate understanding of medical concepts and practices within their social, cultural and economic contexts. This article aims to explore the significance and application of the social history approach in medical historiography.

Methods: This research utilizes a qualitative methodology and historiographic analysis grounded in social history discourse. Data were collected by examining historical archives, including newspapers, physicians' memoirs and documents obtained from reputable databases. Historical-documentary analysis was performed using primary and secondary sources alongside interdisciplinary research on medical history and the impact of social contexts.

Ethical Considerations: This study is based on historical sources and interdisciplinary research, with no direct human intervention or experimental trials involving human participants. All sources have been employed in compliance with intellectual property rights and research ethics. The researchers are committed to maintaining academic integrity and transparency in presenting data and historical arguments.

Results: The results indicate that the social history approach conceptualizes medicine as a social institution shaped profoundly by power structures, cultural beliefs and social determinants such as class, gender and ethnicity. For instance, the impact of social class on access to healthcare during the Safavid era is evident, with lower social strata resorting more frequently to alternative therapies and informal care networks. Additionally, the lived experiences of patients and healthcare providers shed light on often overlooked dimensions of medical history.

Conclusion: By opening new avenues for research, the social history approach enables scholars to undertake a comprehensive, multilayered analysis of medical history, emphasizing the critical role of social, cultural and structural factors in medical transformations. It is recommended that future researches focus on localized Iranian contexts, utilizing interdisciplinary methods and fieldwork to better capture the diverse lived experiences of communities. This approach holds promise for informing healthcare policy and enhancing contemporary understandings of health and disease.

Background and Aim: The Justinianic Plague (541-542 CE) was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, sweeping across the territories of the Byzantine Empire. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive examination of the multiple dimensions of this health crisis including its origins and transmission routes, as well as its demographic, economic and social impacts, particularly on the Byzantine Empire alongside governmental responses and its long-term historical consequences.

Methods: Employing a historical-analytical approach, this research integrates chronological, environmental, and social-historical methodologies of disease. Data were systematically gathered and analyzed through structured note-taking (fishing method) from primary historical sources and interdisciplinary findings-including paleogenetic, archaeological and geological evidence.

Ethical Considerations: All ethical research principles including academic integrity, accurate and original citation and faithful handling of sources and data were strictly observed.

Results: The findings indicate that the Justinianic Plague likely originated in the city of Pelusium in Egypt and spread via commercial and military networks to Constantinople and subsequently throughout the Mediterranean, Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Syria. The causative agent was the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which recurred episodically until approximately 750 CE, claiming the lives of around 50 million people (equivalent to 26% of the world’s population at the time).3. Determination of Temperament: Individuals with a warm and dry temperament may be harmed by performing certain exercises.

Conclusion: The Justinian Plague was not merely a public health catastrophe, but a pivotal moment in the civilizational history of the early Middle Ages. This pandemic transformed the political, economic and social structures of the ancient world, played a key role in weakening the Byzantine Empire and had a profound and lasting impact on the course of historical developments, effectively heralding Europe's entry into the Middle Ages.