Social organization of ancient iranian traditional medical system

Abstract

The history of ancient Iranian traditional medical system goes back several thousand years. This system is a form of integrated medicine of the kind found throughout Asia, which is based on holistic approach and not limited to the treatment of illness, but is considered a way of life. The aim of this paper is exploring and reconstructing the history of this system. Ancient Iranian Traditional medical system was rational, enlightened, and empirical and in comparison with the other contemporary medical systems this tradition possessed fewer magical and superstitions aspects, but never free in theory or practice from religious considerations. The Iranian traditional medical system was differentiated into several fields of specialization, and this system has its own laws and rules. The profession of physician possessed high social status and was only available to the upper classes of Iranian society. A common feature of virtually every evolutionary study is the task of reconstructing past developments either in single sociocultural systems, or in clusters of systems, such as social organization, or social stratification in general. This study has employed the detection and documentation of processes to get the aim that is reconstruction of ancient Iranian medical system. As article shows the scientific aspect of this tradition was dominant over other aspects. In this tradition great emphasis was placed on personal hygiene in individuals and cleanliness of one's environment.