Diagnoses in Assyrian and Babylonian Medicine : Ancient Sources, Translations, and Modern Medical Analyses

To date, the pathbreaking medical contributions of the early Mesopotamians have been only vaguely understood. Due to the combined problems of an extinct language, gaps in the archeological record, the complexities of pharmacy and medicine, and the dispersion of ancient tablets throughout the museums of the world, it has been nearly impossible to get a clear and comprehensive view of what medicine was really like in ancient Mesopotamia. The collaboration of medical expert Burton R. Andersen and cuneiformist JoAnn Scurlock makes it finally possible to survey this collected corpus and discern magic from experimental medicine in Ashur, Babylon, and Nineveh. Diagnoses in Assyrian and Babylonian Medicine is the first systematic study of all the available texts, which together reveal a level of medical knowledge not matched again until the nineteenth century A.D. Over the course of a millennium, these nations were able to develop tests, prepare drugs, and encourage public sanitation. Their careful observation and recording of data resulted in a description of symptoms so precise as to enable modern identification of numerous diseases and afflictions. Cover Title Page Copyright Contents Acknowledgments Concordance of Sigla Translator's Notes Introduction 1. The Ancient Mesopotamian Context 2. General Health and Public Health Practices 3. Infectious Diseases 4. Sexually Transmitted Disease (STDs) 5. Genitourinary Tract Diseases 6. Gastrointestinal Diseases 7. Metabolic and Nutritional Diseases 8. Heart, Circulatory System, and Lungs 9. Eyes, Ears, and Nose 10. Skin and Hair 11. Bones and Joints 12. Obstetrics and Gynecology 13. Neurology 14. Trauma and Shock 15. Poisons 16. Mental Illness 17. Pediatrics 18. Dental and Oral Diseases 19. Ancient Etiologies: The Naming of Disease Patterns 20. Prognostics Conclusion Unsolved Puzzles Appendix Chart Showing the Arrangement of Entries Notes Bibliography Indexes 1. The Ancient Mesopotamian Context -- 2. General Health And Public Health Practices -- 3. Infectious Diseases -- 4. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (stds) -- 5. Genitourinary Tract Diseases -- 6. Gastrointestinal Diseases -- 7. Metabolic And Nutritional Diseases -- 8. Heart, Circulatory System, And Lungs -- 9. Eyes, Ears, And Nose -- 10. Skin And Hair -- 11. Bones And Joints -- 12. Obstetrics And Gynecology -- 13. Neurology -- 14. Trauma And Shock -- 15. Poisons -- 16. Mental Illness -- 17. Pediatrics -- 18. Dental And Oral Diseases -- 19. Ancient Etiologies : The Naming Of Disease Patterns -- 20. Prognostics. Translated And With Commentary By Joann Scurlock, Burton R. Andersen. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [679]-778) And Indexes. Ancient Mesopotamia, the "cradle of civilization," is one of the sources of our own Western medical tradition.