Ancient Babylonian Medicine E-Book

Markham J. Geller

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Serie: Ancient Cultures
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 441

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Utilizing a great variety of previously unknown cuneiform tablets, Ancient Babylonian Medicine: Theory and Practice examines the way medicine was practiced by various Babylonian professionals of the 2nd and 1st millennium B.C.

• Represents the first overview of Babylonian medicine utilizing cuneiform sources, including archives of court letters, medical recipes, and commentaries written by ancient scholars
• Attempts to reconcile the ways in which medicine and magic were related
• Assigns authorship to various types of medical literature that were previously considered anonymous
• Rejects the approach of other scholars that have attempted to apply modern diagnostic methods to ancient illnesses

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Series

Title

Copyright

Dedication

Illustrations

Abbreviations

Acknowledgments

Introduction to Babylonian Medicine and Magic

Dissection and Disease Taxonomy

The Sources

Is Medicine Magic and Is Magic Medicine?

1: Medicine as Science

“Scientific” Medicine

Academic Medicine

Anatomical Science

Medical Predictions

Medical Prescriptions

Sumerian and Akkadian Therapeutic Magic

Psychosomatic Illness

Divination

2: Who Did What to Whom?

Professional Title Classification

The Exorcist in Sumerian Literature

Priest vs Layman

Quacks and Quacksalvers

3: The Politics of Medicine

Letters from the Kingdom of Mari (Syria), Eighteenth Century BC

Physicians in Babylonia (Eighteenth–Seventeenth Century BC)

Second-Millennium BC Medical Corpus

Epidemics

Middle Babylonian Letters (c. Fifteenth Century BC)

Neo-Assyrian Court Letters

Literary Hypochondria

Urad-Nanaya, Chief Physician to Esarhaddon

4: Medicine as Literature

Diagnostic Handbook

Medical Incantations

Therapeutic Prescriptions as Genre

Poetry Within Therapeutic Prescriptions

The Babylonian Background to Greco-Roman Pharmacology

5: Medicine and Philosophy

Innovation

Ascendance of the Exorcist and Decline of the Physician

6: Medical Training: MD or PhD?

Academic Titles

The Meaning of ana tāmarti “for Reading”

The Case of Anu-ikur of Uruk

7: Uruk Medical Commentaries

Commentaries on the Diagnostic Handbook and General Themes of Prognosis

Medical Terminology in Commentaries

Writing Down of Medical Knowledge

8: Medicine and Magic as Independent Approaches to Healing

Practice

Theory

Appendix: An Edition of a Medical Commentary

Translation

The Source Text

Translation of ll. 1–9

Notes

References

Subject Index

Selective Index of Akkadian and Greek Words

Index of Akkadian Personal Names

End User License Agreement

List of Illustrations

Introduction to Babylonian Medicine and Magic

Map 1 The Near East (Mark W. Chavalas,

The Ancient Near East

, Blackwell, 2006)

1: Medicine as Science

Figure 1.1 Medical tablet from Babylon mentioning Hammurapi’s mother (BM 41293+44866; copy M. J. Geller)

Figure 1.2 Exorcists performing a ritual, dressed as fish-men

apkallu

sages (Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin; drawing Tessa Rickards)

Figure 1.3 Clay model of a sheep liver used for divination, from Mari in Syria, second millennium BC (Musée du Louvre; photo Florentina Badalanova Geller)

2: Who Did What to Whom?

Figure 2.1 Ceramic plaque from the Assyrian period (c. 700 BC) showing an exorcist dressed as an

apkallu

sage (photo Florentina Badalanova Geller)

Figure 2.2 Exorcism ritual carried out in a reed

šutukku

-hut, with one woman fumigating and another wailing; early first millennium BC (Collon 1987: No. 803; photo courtesy D. Collon)

Figure 2.3 Exorcists trying to heal a patient in bed, Lamaštu-amulet (Wiggermann 2007: 107, No. 2; drawing F. A. M. Wiggermann)

3: The Politics of Medicine

Figure 3.1 Bust of Hammurabi, king of Babylon (Musée du Louvre Sb 95; photo Florentina Badalanova Geller)

Figure 3.2 Seal of physician Ur-lugal-edina (Collon 1987: No. 638; drawing courtesy D. Collon)

Figure 3.3 Bust of an Assyrian courtier (Musée du Louvre; photo Florentina Badalanova Geller)

Figure 3.4 Ceramic plaque showing healer and patient, second millennium BC (Musée du Louvre AO 6622; photo Florentina Badalanova Geller)

4: Medicine as Literature

Figure 4.1 Healing goddess Gula with her dog, holding a scalpel in her right hand and a tablet in her left hand (Collon 1987: No. 793; photo courtesy D. Collon)

Figure 4.2 Assur recipes

BAM

116 and duplicate recipes (Babylonisch-assyrische Medizin

Figure 4.3 Duplicate recipes (

Babylonisch-assyrische Medizin

)

Figure 4.4

BAM

104 and duplicates (

Babylonisch-assyrische Medizin

)

Figure 4.5

AMT

56,1 and duplicates

(Assyrian Medical Texts

and

Babylonischassyrische Medizin)

Figure 4.6 Healing goddess Gula with her dog, seated before the god Latarak (R. Ellis, Fs. J. J. Finkelstein, figure no. 3; drawing F. A. M. Wiggermann)

5: Medicine and Philosophy

Figure 5.1 Patient being healed (Wiggermann 2007: 107, No. 1; drawing courtesy F. A. M. Wiggermann)

6: Medical Training: MD or PhD?

Figure 6.1 Scribes and officials from Til Barsip (ninth century BC) showing scribes writing on both leather and clay (photo Florentina Badalanova Geller)

Appendix: An Edition of a Medical Commentary

Figure A.1 Photo of MLC 1863 taken by A. T. Clay (photo courtesy Ulla Kasten, Yale Babylonian Collection)

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

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Ancient Cultures

These enjoyable, straightforward surveys of key themes in ancient culture are ideal for anyone new to the study of the ancient world. Each book reveals the excitement of discovering the diverse lifestyles, ideals, and beliefs of ancient peoples.

Published

Ancient Babylonian MedicineMarkham J. Geller

The SpartansNigel Kennell

Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient WorldDonald G. Kyle

Food in the Ancient WorldJohn M. Wilkins and Shaun Hill

Greek Political ThoughtRyan K. Balot

Sexuality in Greek and Roman CultureMarilyn B. Skinner

Theories of MythologyEric Csapo

In preparation

Science in the Ancient WorldDaryn Lehoux

Ethnicity and Identity in the Ancient WorldKathryn Lomas

Roman Law and SocietyThomas McGinn

Economies of the Greek and Roman WorldJeremy Paterson

Economies of the Greco-Roman WorldGary Reger

The City of RomeJohn Patterson

Family in Greek and Roman CultureEmma Griffiths and Tim Parkin

Ancient Babylonian Medicine

Theory and Practice

Markham J. Geller

This edition first published 2010

© 2010 Markham J. Geller

Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwell’s publishing program has been merged with Wiley’s global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business to form Wiley-Blackwell.

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Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Geller, Markham J.

Ancient Babylonian medicine : theory and practice / Markham J. Geller.

v. cm. – (Ancient cultures)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents: Introduction to Babylonian medicine and magic – Medicine as science – Who did what to whom? – The politics of medicine – Medicine as literature – Medicine and philosophy – Medical training : MD or PhD? – Uruk medical commentaries – Medicine and magic as independent approaches to healing – Appendix: An edition of a medical commentary.

ISBN 978-1-4051-2652-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Medicine, Assyro-Babylonian.

2. Medicine, Assyro-Babylonian–Philosophy. 3. Medicine, Assyro-Babylonian–Methodology. 4. Magic, Assyro-Babylonian. I. Title.

R135.3.G44 2010

610.938–dc22

2009046375

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

I 2010

To Florentina

Illustrations

Map

Map 1 The Near East (Mark W. Chavalas,

The Ancient Near East

, Blackwell, 2006)

Figures

1.1 Medical tablet from Babylon mentioning Hammurapi’s mother (BM 41293+44866; copy M. J. Geller)

1.2 Exorcists performing a ritual, dressed as fish-men

apkallu

sages (Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin; drawing Tessa Rickards)

1.3 Clay model of a sheep liver used for divination, from Mari in Syria, second millennium BC (Musée du Louvre; photo Florentina Badalanova Geller)

2.1 Ceramic plaque from the Assyrian period (c. 700 BC) showing an exorcist dressed as an

apkallu

sage (photo Florentina Badalanova Geller)

2.2 Exorcism ritual carried out in a reed

šutukku

-hut, with one woman fumigating and another wailing; early first millennium BC (Collon 1987: No. 803; photo courtesy D. Collon)

2.3 Exorcists trying to heal a patient in bed, Lamaštu-amulet (Wiggermann 2007: 107, No. 2; drawing F. A. M. Wiggermann)

3.1 Bust of Hammurabi, king of Babylon (Musée du Louvre Sb 95; photo Florentina Badalanova Geller)

3.2 Seal of physician Ur-lugal-edina (Collon 1987: No. 638; drawing courtesy D. Collon)

3.3 Bust of an Assyrian courtier (Musée du Louvre; photo Florentina Badalanova Geller)

3.4 Ceramic plaque showing healer and patient, second millennium BC (Musée du Louvre AO 6622; photo Florentina Badalanova Geller)

4.1 Healing goddess Gula with her dog, holding a scalpel in her right hand and a tablet in her left hand (Collon 1987: No. 793; photo courtesy D. Collon)

4.2 Assur recipes

BAM

116 and duplicate recipes (

Babylonisch-assyrische Medizin

)

4.3 Duplicate recipes (

Babylonisch-assyrische Medizin

)

4.4

BAM

104 and duplicates (

Babylonisch-assyrische Medizin

)

4.5

AMT

56,1 and duplicates (

Assyrian Medical Texts

and

Babylonisch-assyrische Medizin

)

4.6 Healing goddess Gula with her dog, seated before the god Latarak (R. Ellis, Fs. J. J. Finkelstein, figure no. 3; drawing F. A. M. Wiggermann)

5.1 Patient being healed (Wiggermann 2007: 107, No. 1; drawing courtesy F. A. M. Wiggermann)

6.1 Scribes and officials from Til Barsip (ninth century BC) showing scribes writing on both leather and clay (photo Florentina Badalanova Geller)

A.1 Photo of MLC 1863 taken by A. T. Clay (photo courtesy Ulla Kasten, Yale Babylonian Collection)

Acknowledgments

This book was made possible by a grant from the Wellcome Trust, which allowed me to spend the 2005–6 academic year at the Collège de France and École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris, through the invitation of J.-M. Durand. Further work on the manuscript was carried out during two research visits to the Max Planck Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Berlin, courtesy of Peter Damerow and Jürgen Renn. These visits were funded by grants from the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung (Wiederaufnahme Stipendium) and the TOPOI Excellence Cluster of the Freie Universität Berlin, with Eva Cancik-Kirschbaum as my Betreurerin.

The manuscript received a thorough and highly critical reading from Irving Finkel, which resulted in a major redrafting of the text.

I would like to thank a number of colleagues who have generously helped in providing illustrations for this volume. Frans Wiggermann and Dominique Collon kindly sent along their original drawings as well as photos from their own archives, and Tessa Rickards provided her drawing of an object in the Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin. Ulla Kasten supplied an old photo from the Yale Babylonian Collection taken by A. T. Clay, with permission to publish it. Béatrice André-Salvini graciously granted permission to publish photos from the Louvre taken by Florentina Badalanova Geller, to whom this volume is dedicated.

Finally, I would like to thank Galen Smith of Wiley-Blackwell for seeing this work through to publication and Clare Creffield for copy-editing the manuscript.

Introduction to Babylonian Medicine and Magic

If a man has pain in his kidney, his groin constantly hurts him, and his urine is white like donkey-urine, and later on his urine shows blood, that man suffers from “discharge” (muû-disease). You boil 2 shekels of myrrh, 2 shekels of baluhhu-resin, (and) 2 sila-measures of vinegar together in a jug; cool it and mix it in equal measure in pressed oil. You pour half into his urethra via a copper tube, half mix in premium beer, you leave it out overnight and he drinks it on an empty stomach and he will get better.

Babylonian recipe for disease of the kidneys, BAM 7 35

[If a] man has intestinal colic, he constantly scratches himself, he retains wind in his anus, food and fluids are regurgitated (and) he suffers from constipation of the rectum – its “redness” is raised and troubles him [without] giving him relief – you desiccate a lion skin and mix it with lion fat, you dry (it) a second time, crush and mix it in cedar oil, make a pessary and insert it into his anus.

Babylonian recipe for disease of the anus, 7 151