Doctors in ancient Mesopotamia

In ancient Mesopotamia there were two basic types of doctor. First of all there was the kind of doctor (asu) who has rule relied upon medical substances to effect a cure. They concocted most medicines from plants and trees. Leaves seeds or roots were sued and sometimes tree branches, bark or gum.

Second, there was the kind of doctor (ashipu) who traditionally trusted in spiritual remedies. The ashipu performed sacrifies, searched for omens, chanted spells and prescribed rituals. Mesopotamians believed these doctors could help and sometimes the belief was enough to cure them.

On occasion, each type of doctor might apply the other’s methods in addition to his own to assure a patient’s recovery and in difficult cases, specialist of both types might collaborate.

For a certain problems, patients were sent to an asu, or physician, The asu knew how to combine many kinds of herbs into skin creams, syrups and poultices, By 2100 BC, physicians knew how to heal wounds by washing them with water, applying a ‘plaster’ to soap and bandaging them.

For stomach problems, the asu might have mixed powdered ingredients that could be taken with beer, milk or both, to help the patients swallow the medicine more easily.

Although the treatment of medical problems included spiritual and magical practices as well as medical intervention, Mesopotamian doctors seem to have enjoyed considerable success in dealing with disease and other medical problems.

Hammurabi, king of Babylon laid down 17 rules for doctors in the Code of Hammurabi, his collection of all Babylonian laws. The rules included guidelines on punishments for doctors if their treatment did not work.
Doctors in ancient Mesopotamia