Palla Ákos szerk.: Az Országos Orvostörténeti Könyvtár közleményei 6-7. (Budapest, 1957)

Dr. MÉREI GYULA: A babilóniaiak és asszírok orvostudománya, különös tekintettel az osztraka-leletek szövegére

SUMMARY Author has studied the magic elements in Babylonian and Assirian medical science on grounds of an analysis of the written documents found in the Ninivean library at Assur-ban-ipal and of other ostraka findings. According to the Babylonian view there is no life after death. For this reason it has been thought that sins must be punished during the life on earth, because otherwise one could not believe in divine justice. It has been said that the sinner must be punished and the innocent must be praised during life on earth. According to this view, disease is a divine punishment. Empiric experience was therefore suppressed. It was argued that disease, which is punishment for sin, can be cured by penitence and expiation. The Gods do not punish directly, they simply turn away from the sinner giving a free hand to the daemons of disease. The second magic element in the treatment of diseases is the teaching that the daemons should de exorcised and the good spirits should be invited in their place. The third magis element is that vengeance, ill will by some bad man may result in disease. This black magia can be neutralised by white magia. Author discusses in detail the original textures relating to the above points. The Maqlu and Sharpu collection is most interesting also from the point of view of medical history. Author then proceeds to deal with the descriptions of diseases, with the information relating to diagnosis and prognosis, as found in the original scripts. It is emphasized that the Babylonians made significant observations in diagnosis. For example it was recognized that under pathological conditions the organism would retain water, which was a „fatal poison" for the patient (Western Asia Inscriptions, Table IX., line 10). This discovery made by the Babylonians has not been sufficiently appreciated in the history of medicine. The main cause of the fact that the logically thinking, excellent observer Babylonians failed to reach the high standards of Egyiptian medicine is obviously the preponderance of magic elements. In conclusion, author compares the related features in the Sumer and Finnish magic medicine.