Tārīkh-i pizishkī i.e., Medical History

History is a mirror of all the events of the past during human life and can be a valuable guide to a bright and prosperous future. An in-depth and research-oriented view of the past and the study of the evolution of human knowledge in the past can be an important tool for gaining knowledge of the experiences of predecessors to achieve lofty goals.

Since the history of any nation reflects the religious, scientific, moral, artistic, etc. values ​​of that nation, therefore, the history of each nation reflects the identity of that nation and outlines its past policy, which is effective in achieving the future horizons of that nation. It is a transition. Forgetting history is, in fact, forgetting national identity and values; And the protection of the identity of any land is one of the necessities of that land.

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Medicine, which is one of the most ancient arts and sciences in human history, profoundly is touched by Iranians. In Avesta, the holy books of Zaroastrians, there are numerous explicit descriptions of medical practices, specialized healers in different fields and variety of treating methods. Very few information about medicine in Cheapened and Parthian eras are at hand, though fortunately much more details are available in Sassanid’s era. This article dedicates to a brief introduction of pre-Islamic Iranian’s contribution to medicine and ancient health care systems and provides examples in the field. A study on the History of Ophthalmology in Islamic Era (annexed with an introduction to a valuable collection of ophthalmology from the library of Timor Pasha in Cairo, written in 592 H.A.)

This article is going to study the areas of education, training, Razi’s students and professors. Then Rezai will be studied as the greatest Iranian Muslim physician. Some of the materials of his books and his services to the universal medicine will be discussed. Razi will be compared with Hippocrates and Galenus and their works will be pointed to. This article will present the great physicians’ criticism with respect to Razi’s works and will find that he corrected his mistakes. Despite of his criticism to Hippocrates and Galenus, Razi took advantage of their therapeutic plans and completed them. Razi’s empiricism especially in his book entitled “Mehnat Al-tabib” is presented and then the way Razi used estimative experience in 4^th A.H and 10^th A.D century. Some of Razi’s stories with his patients and his emphasis on distinctive-comparative diagnosis in the above-mentioned book will be discussed. Finally the author deals with Razi’s written records while he diagnosed his clinical patients.

Vast terminological changes have been made to the word “Qulanj” (Colic) during the long history of medicine. For centuries, it has been defined as a disease with stomachache and stoppage of digestive waists’ elimination and defecation from the intestines; but today these are named as, different types of abdominal pains including, hernia and different kinds of abdominal edema as well as colitis and intestinal obstruction or volvulus. This article is trying to study and analyze the “colic” briefly, in the eyes of Razi & Poor-Sina (Avicenna) and to report their agreements and disagreements delicately. Thus, when these two books are considered carefully, the first question that comes to one’s mind is undoubtedly: “How the intellectuals of Iran medicine could have laid the basis of clinical diagnosis of the “colic” such powerfully that can still keep its value and position safe in today’s world of medicine? Different causes of the "colic appearance" are frequently restated in these texts. Avicenna talked about more than 80 different reasons lead finally to the “colic”. In addition to introducing the signs of this disease, Avicenna talked about the differential diagnosis of the colic in kidney stone or pain, bladder stone, gallstones, biliary pain and peptic ulcers. Each of them categorizes various types of the “colic” into several but similar groups, all of which are really surprising for they have been living more than 1000 years before us. In conclusion, they explain about treatments using the single or combined drugs and explicate the ways to prevent the colic to be appeared.

This article tries to study a history of ophthalmology and to introduce great scientists of Islamic era regarding Hellenic medicine and their innovations in this field. Some great physicians such as Ebn Masoye, Hanin Ibn Eshagh, Ali Ibn Issa, Abo Roh Jorjani and other scientists and their works will be introduced briefly and discussed if necessary. Meanwhile, scientists of ophthalmology are mentioned to present an overview of a historic change in this profession especially in Safavi era and afterwards. Some pictures about anatomy of ophthalmology in hand-written versions and the theory of vision process are presented. Also, the therapeutic equipments and eye surgery are discussed. Finally, with respect to the importance of eight works of a valuable hand-written collection in Cairo, this version is introduced and the words are described. These words have a very deep influence in the development of ophthalmology in Islamic era and the pictures which are included in this collection are unique and very priceless.

Rabé-Rashidi can be considered as the most manifest sample of constructions done by Gazan Khan with an ideal wish of eminence and social mobility in Iran. As a university campus, Rabé-Rashidi was established by Khaje Rashid Eldin Fazl Allah Hamadani, with a great deal of cultural, economic and welfare programs in the first years of 8^th A.H. century. Despite an undeniable delay in comparison to the firstly founded University of Cambridge in 1209, foundation of Rabé- Rashidi preceded many well-known European universities like Prague, Vienna and other similar universities. The University campus was located in Tabriz, and its exact location was at the end of Sheshgelan sStreet. The whole process of training in Rabé-Rashidi constituted 5 stages: Beit-ol-Talim, Professional training, higher education, Dar-ol-shafa and Khangah. Beit-ol-Talim was dedicated to educate children, with a particular interest on orphans. During professional trainings, young men could learn technological and industrial professions; higher education consisted 3 fields of commentary (Tafsir), mathematical and rationalized sciences, and studying written works of Rashid Al-din. Dar-ol-shafa was also obviously designed for treatment of patients and training young physicians and specialists like orthopedists, ophthalmists, and pharmacists. The hospitals in Rabé-Rashidi were all free of charge and would deliver services by physicians and nurses; Khangah was also a place for Sufies and professors to rest down, study and even pray.  Furthermore, Beit-ol-Ketab (library) in Rabé-Rashidi is one of the richest library in the world and contained more than 1000 copies of Quran , 60000 copies of rare and fascinating books in science, history, poems and more than other 60000 copies of books written in Persian or in Arabic. Such a great number of books can be more interesting if you remind of their procedure of handwriting which could take months or even years for an author to be complete.

In this research, medical and health periodicals related to Qajar era have been analytically investigated. Accodingly, some newspapers and magazines such as Hefzoseheh, Danesh, Shokufeh, Sehat, Sahiyeh va Omure Kheiriyeh, Tebabat, Tebe Konuni and Naseri have been chosen and investigated. The method used in this research is “Content Investigation Method” which is based on verbally referring to the Document Centers and Magazine Sections of the libraries. Conclusions of the research show that 313 out of 2542 investigated articles, (12.7%) are related to the subjects. The highest percentage is related to medicine and therapeutic services (14.3%) and the lowest percentage is related to medical staff and pharmacists (2%). Frequency of information indicates that in such a historical era, medical information was merely stated and no criticism was conducted. The titles which were used in these periodicals as heading included news (52.7%), reports (42.5%), bibliographies (3.5%) and criticism and interpretation (1.3%). Also, amplitude of information given in these publications.

This article attempts to describe the status of cholera in First Pahlavi era and the methods the government applied to deal with this disease. Although cholera was not endemic in Iran, but it was transferred into Iran from the neighboring countries, and due to the turmoil and poor quarantine status and lack of hygiene, it was greatly expanded all over the country. During Reza Shah's regime, Iran faced three times the prevalence of this disease, and to fight the disease, the government helped the Pasteur Institute to equip and created many sea and land quarantines. Furthermore, by issuing and applying recommendations in health, the spread of the disease was controlled and to treat the sufferers of cholera were treated.