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Ancient Sumerian Healthcare in Mesopotamia has been the focus of various studies, due to its significance in modern medicine. Even today we still benefit from the ever-lasting remedies Mesopotamian civilization gave to us. In this article, we’ll cover 8 questions about healthcare in Mesopotamia and start exploring this thousands year old legacy.
1.How old is medicine in Mesopotamia?
Did you know that healthcare in Mesopotamia dates back thousands years ?
The oldest known medical records go back to about 3,000 BCE.
Medicine in the region was known to be a well-developed field by the time the Old Babylonian and Old Assyrian periods arrived (c. 2100-1500 BCE).
Sources say that it became more refined by the time of the Bronze Age collapse (c. 1200 BCE)[1].
2. Who were the important gods in healthcare in Mesopotamia?
Similarly to most cultures at that time, gods and goddesses were part of medicine in Mesopotamia.
Worshiping the gods used to make up the most important part of daily life in ancient Mesopotamia. They featured in medical texts and incantations.
The goddess Gula was the primary goddess of healing. She was also known as the great physician of the black-headed ones which referred to Sumerians. She kept the medicine business in the family - while her husband Ninurta was known as the healer god, her children Ninazu (the intermediary through which Gula’s power reached doctors), Damu and Gunurra were also healing gods and goddesses.
3. Where was the center of healthcare?
Healthcare was mostly done at home, where the Ancient Sumerian doctors, the Asu and Ashipu used to visit patients. In addition to that, the other important sites for religious healing were rivers. According to the Sumerians, rivers could clear the evil spirits and forces away from the patient. Therefore, if there was any doubt about the presence of demons, the doctors used to set up a small hut for the patient either near the home or river.
4. Why are they considered as the founders of medication?
The Sumerians are accepted to be the originators of the practice of prescribing medication. Sumerians used medicines as early as 3,500 B.C. They developed enemas, suppositories, lotions, pills, inhalations, ointments, snuffs, poultices, and infusions.
5. Some treatments from Ancient Mesopotamia can be compared to those of today.
Healthcare in Mesopotamia wasn’t limited to herbs and ancient remedies. The Ancient Sumerian doctors were partially able to observe symptoms related to neurology, skin diseases, gynecology and convulsive disorders. One surprising fact is that some of the leech therapies used by the Ancient Sumerians may even be compared to those used by modern medical practitioners today[2].
6. What kind of doctors did the Sumerians have?
There were 2 kinds of doctors throughout Mesopotamia’s history.
An Asu was a medical doctor who treated illness or injury using minerals and a variety of resins, spices and plants with antibiotic and/or antiseptic properties. The other type of doctor was an Ashipu, who represented the more spiritual side of healthcare in Mesopotamia. Ashipus had to determine which god or demon was responsible for the patient's illness. When doing that, they were also trying to reveal if the sickness was the result of the patient’s error or sin.
7. Could women be doctors?
Women and men could both be doctors.
According to the sources, it is thought that there were more female physicians in Mesopotamia than elsewhere. It seems women played a larger role in medicine prior to the advent of the Akkadian Empire in c. 2334 BC, which disseminated the view that women were subordinate to men[3].
8. Was any type of surgery possible?
Sumerian physicians were able to conduct surgery.
When we rewind to thousands of years ago, it feels quite difficult to visualise a surgical procedure. However, one of the surprising facts about healthcare in ancient Mesopotamia is that the physicians were trained and had adequate tools to treat patients with both pharmaceutical medicine and surgery[4].
Today, we can still benefit from the ancient remedies and herbs used in ancient Mesopotamia. To learn more about this spectacular civilisation and hear from ASU, sign up for our blog updates today!
[1] Mark, Joshua J. "Health Care in Ancient Mesopotamia." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 21 May 2014. Web. 22 May 2020.
[3] Mark, Joshua J. "Health Care in Ancient Mesopotamia." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 21 May 2014. Web. 22 May 2020.
[4] Emily K. Teall, Medicine and Doctoring in Ancient Mesopotamia, October 2014, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
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