The oldest known ancient Mesopotamian medical text is a therapeutics manual, written in Sumerian, which dates from the Ur III period (2112-2004 BC).
During the Mesopotamia era, there two types of healers, namely sorcerers who belonged to the clergy and physicians.
The former, known as the ashipu, believed that disease was caused by demons and employed magic, incantations, charms and exorcism to expel them, while the latter the asu, followed a therapeutic tradition of using animals, vegetable and mineral remedies in pragmatic manner.
Ashipu were generally associated with temples and in addition to their medical duties, performed purification rites in connection with calendric or the consecration of cult statues.
The asu or physicians of ancient Mesopotamia were careful observes of clinical symptoms, frequently visiting patients in their houses and questioning them and those who had attended them in the illness.
Asu was the kind of doctor who as a rule relied upon medical substances to effect a cure.
Four thousands year old tablets excavated at Nippur contained more than a dozen prescription with ingredients from animal, vegetable and mineral sources, but there was no indication of their uses.
The most common mineral agents were potassium nitrate (or saltpeter), known as astringent, and sodium chloride (or salt) a recognized antiseptic, while from the animal kingdom, milk, snakeskin and tortoise shell were favored.
When a person became ill in ancient Mesopotamia, he had many options. He might go himself on the mercy of the gods, he could repair directly to the pharmacy, or he could first call in a physically to diagnose his problem and them arrive at the pharmacist’s shop armed with a doctor’s prescription.
Medicine during ancient Mesopotamia
