The position of physicians in ancient Iran and Hamurabian law

Karachiyan sani, fatemeh; Soltani, Abbasali

Volume 4, Issue 2 (4-2011) IJMEHM 2011, 4(2): 34-43 | Back to browse issues page

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Karachiyan sani F, Soltani A. The position of physicians in ancient Iran and Hamurabian law . IJMEHM 2011; 4 (2) :34-43
URL: http://ijme.tums.ac.ir/article-1-5051-en.html

The position of physicians in ancient Iran and Hamurabian law

Fatemeh Karachiyan sani ^*

¹, Abbasali Soltani

1- , sa.sani86@gmail.com

Abstract: (13287 Views)

One of the oldest codes - Hammurabi's Code - available in the field of medicine contains descriptions of the duties of physicians and heavy penalties for their neglect. Albeit, religious books have pointed out these issues as needed. Among these, the text of Avesta pays particular attention to physicians and their duties, and was one of the sources of inspiration for medical laws at its time. In the text, it is stated that physicians were selected from members of the clergy, and surgeons had to perform three surgeries on non-Zoroastrians who believed in Ahura Mazda. If this requirement was not achieved, they would lose their right to surgery or practice, but if successful, they could operate on the followers of Ahura Mazda without fear. Here we intend to discuss the laws and ethics of ancient Iran and the rights and duties of the physicians by exploring the literature of the time.

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Type of Study: Review | Subject: History of Medicine
Received: 2013/06/17 | Accepted: 2013/07/13 | Published: 2013/07/13