JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON HISTORY OF MEDICINE
Year:2025 | Volume:14 | Issue:2|Papers Count:9

Iranian physicians stood at the forefront of medical innovation during the Islamic Golden Age of Medicine (9-11 CE). They played a pivotal role in the development and prosperity of medicine within the Muslim empire through their extensive contributions to written masterpieces, significantly enriching the medical knowledge of the era. Furthermore, they helped Western medical traditions flourish by translating these works into Latin. ʻAlī ibn al-ʻAbbās al-Majūsī al-Arrajānī, known in the West as “Haly Abbas,” was one of the Iranian physicians of the era. His only work, Kitāb Kāmil al-ṣināʻah al-ṭibbīyah or al-Malakī (The Royal Book), was a great medical encyclopedia that delved into both theoretical and practical aspects of medicine – which was considered the most comprehensive book on Persian Medicine before Avicenna’s al-Qānūn. Al-Malakī played a pivotal role in medical education across the Muslim world and Europe. This study is based on a library research method, drawing from a thorough review and analysis of relevant sources.

Iran has used contraceptives in one form or another for thousands of years throughout its history. Various birth control methods were among the major topics explored in Persian medicine (PM). This article examines the sources cited in the aforementioned manuscripts and showcases Iranian sages’ knowledge of contraception. The findings indicate that PM medical books contain a variety of birth control methods. The scholars identified up to eight methods they believed to be effective in preventing conception, including behavioral methods, withdrawal, oral medications, and contraceptive devices such as condom-like coverings, vaginal remedies, exterior oils, and fumigations. It is clear that PM scholars knew about all the alleged contraceptives in use. They knew about coitus interruptus and coitus reservatus, used a wide variety of suppositories or pessaries, and believed in some exercises of dubious validity, such as jumping backward, sneezing, or anointing the penis with various salves and oils.

This paper discusses the rise of private healthcare providers, collectively known as general practice operators (GPOs) or commercial providers, in modern healthcare provision in Tivland. This category of modern healthcare provision has 301 healthcare facilities, accounting for 31.987% of the total modern healthcare facilities available in Tivland. Despite the massive contribution of GPOs to the modern healthcare system, very little is known about the rise and development of this arm of healthcare providers in Tivland of central Nigeria. It fills this lacuna by asking: What is the evolution and impact of GPOs in Tivland? Primary and secondary data are used. Primary data include archival documents from the National Archive Kaduna (NAK), Nigeria, and oral interviews, including focus group discussions. Interviews were conducted with GPOs, medical and healthcare practitioners, medical and healthcare Union executives, community leaders, and women in Makurdi, Gboko, Ukum, and Katsina-Ala areas of Tivland from 2016 through 2019. They were qualitatively analyzed through a thematic approach. The rise of GPOs in Tivland was driven by the emergence of qualified indigenous medical professionals, crises in the public healthcare sector, and commercial motives. The government should provide grants and tax incentives to encourage efficiency. Also, to promote professionalism and curtail quackery in GPOS, the government should step up monitoring and supervision to ensure standardization in operation for enhanced healthcare delivery in Tivland, central Nigeria.

Pharmacy has a very long history in Iran. Many pharmacists and physicians, particularly in the Fars province, have worked hard to expand this field by employing historical methodologies and descriptive-analytical approaches. The research relied heavily on historical documents to outline the achievements and challenges in developing the pharmaceutical system in Fars province during the first Pahlavi period. The results of our research showed that actions including the establishment of more hospitals and pharmacies, the expansion of pharmaceutical regulatory offices, the amendments of regulatory rules and regulations on pharmaceutical manufacturers, the augmentation of mobile pharmacies, and the increased influence of educated pharmacists were implemented to the develop the pharmaceutical system and thus the health infrastructures. On the other hand, the lack of financing resources, lack of medicines, the resistance of traditional communities, insufficient supervision on medicine production, drug trafficking, and unauthorized, illegal practices of some pharmacists can be enumerated as some major drawbacks and challenges that hurdled the expansion of the pharmaceutical system in Fars province in the mentioned period. In summary, our study revealed that through the development and expansion of some pharmaceutical activities, it was endeavored to improve public health in Fars Province during the first Pahlavi period in Iran. Future research on the history of pharmacy and pharmaceutical development in other historical periods is recommended to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the field’s evolution in the region.

In Persian medicine, the concepts of patient and disease, medicine, and treatment are based on the Iranian-Islamic worldview. In this kind of philosophy, they believed that in the human body, the three members (the heart, the brain, and the liver) are the chief due to the vital actions they perform for the body, and they are called the board members (Major vital organs or Azayeh Reiseh). The remaining bodily organs operate as subordinates to these principal members.Each of the Physicians examined in this study has different opinions about the priority of the board members. The main purpose of the research is to review and compare the Physicians’ opinions about the priority of the board members, relying on historical sources and citations and using the library method. The findings of this research show that the sages of Eastern Islamic civilization do not agree with the members of the body board.

Manuscripts are the precious treasures of every nation. Our country is very rich in this field due to its strong cultural support, and many manuscripts in the Persian language are kept in the libraries of Iran and around the world. These manuscripts cover various fields, with a significant portion related to medical and paramedical sciences. “Manafe-e-Afzaliye” is one of these valuable works, dating back to the 11th century of the Hijri calendar, specifically during the Safavid period. The books from the Safavid period contain very little information about the author of “Manafe-e-Afzaliye” and his works. Most of our knowledge about him is derived from the review of his writings. Regarding the development and validity of medical science during this period, there are contradictory statements, such as: “The Safavid period is the golden age of pharmacology, and valuable books were written in this field” (Safa, 2005, p. 166) or conversely, that “the prescriptions of doctors during this time are the same.” “They prescribe a universal remedy for all ailments and often arrive at diagnoses by asking a handful of meaningless questions” (Sarmadi, 2000, pp. 138-139). Conversely, “the development of medicine during the Safavid era is so remarkable and impressive that no medical historians can ignore it” (Mojabi, 2006, p. 135). The insights provided in “Manafe-e-Afzaliye” and its in-depth exploration of traditional medicine can serve as evidence supporting the claims of researchers such as Safa and Mojabi.

Medicine in Iran has long adhered to a traditional model, deeply influenced by Greek teachings over centuries. Despite the introduction of modern medicine, pharmaceuticals, and advanced treatment methods, many aspects of Iran’s healthcare system continue to reflect these enduring traditional patterns. The doctor-patient relationships are also influenced by this blend of tradition and modernity. To better understand the formation of Iran’s medical model during the 1990s, Agnes G. Loeffler conducted an in-depth study employing oral history methods, interviews with influential researchers, and her field observations. Her work sheds light on the key factors that have shaped Iran’s medical system. However, despite its significance, Loeffler’s book has not yet been translated into Persian, nor has it been the subject of substantial scholarly analysis in Persian or English. By introducing and examining the content of Loeffler’s work, this article aims to encourage further research—including translation and critical engagement—so that her findings can serve as a valuable reference for contemporary Iranian medical modeling and its broader societal implications (Figure 1)..

I read with interest the article A Journey in Time; Muslim, Arab, and Persian Physicians and the History of Surgery by Taqi and AlNasrallah published in volume 14(1) of your journal. (Taqi, and AlNasrallah, 2025, pp. 19-32) The article has ambitious definitions: A Journey in Time, Muslim, History of Surgery. I would like to admit that I was very excited about discovering lesser-known historical figures. Since they point to a large whole, these titles evoke comprehensive reviews: ‘Muslim’ and ‘History of Surgery’. The abstract's closing further emphasizes the broad focus of the study: “By highlighting these contributions, we seek to rectify the historical oversight and endure the profound impact of these scholars and their contributions to medicine and surgery”. The word Muslim has a wide geographical connotation, namely, the geography of Islamic civilization. Moreover, in such a vast geography, scientists from many different religions, nationalities, and ethnicities produced knowledge and science that contributed to Islamic civilization and humanity. Despite this, even after reading the whole article, I could not understand the reason for the emphasis on Arab and Persian physicians in the title. Is it possible not to mention Albucasis when it comes to surgery, Avicenna, and Rhazes in medicine? Journey in Time was completed by adding Haly Abbas and Ibn al-Quff to these three giant names.

This letter addresses various schools of thought about the impact of smiling in the health care setup from ancient literature to the present in a nutshell. Smile is God’s gift and the external reflection of a good heart. The Hadith of Islam narrated by Ibn Jaz “I have not seen anyone who smiled more than the Messenger of Allah (SWT)” exemplifies that The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was known for his joyful and pleasant demeanour (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3641). Abu Dharr narrated another Hadith of Islam: "Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, commanding good and forbidding evil is charity, your giving directions to a man lost in the land is charity for you. Your seeing for a man with bad sight is a charity for you, your removal of a rock, a thorn or a bone from the road is charity for you. Your pouring what remains from your bucket into the bucket of your brother is charity for you," elucidates smiling to the face of a brother is a charity (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1956).