Importance of Preserving and Promoting the School of Iranian Medicine
The land of Iran has a significant share in the cultural and scientific heritage of the world. Unfortunately, our ancestors, for various reasons, did not have the desire and motivation to document their achievements. This led to the recording of scientific history being largely entrusted to foreigners. Many realities were not accurately documented and were incorrectly transmitted.
The current generation must recognize the rich heritage of the past using scientific methods. This heavy responsibility requires our youth to know that their forefathers were the founders of important branches of science, especially medicine.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Humans have thought about maintaining their health since ancient times. They became aware of the therapeutic properties of plants and available materials. These efforts led to the “science of medicine” and laid the first steps toward ensuring health.
According to the World Health Organization, complementary medicine includes diagnostic and therapeutic methods that are different from conventional medicine. In the 1970s and 1980s, these methods were recognized as “alternative” medicine. Gradually, the use of these methods alongside conventional medicine flourished.
Traditional Medicine
The World Health Organization defined traditional medicine in 1978 as a collection of theoretical and practical sciences. These sciences are used in diagnosing and treating diseases and are transmitted in written form from generation to generation.
Research Goals
Traditional medicine in Iran is an important part of the history of medicine in the world. Great Iranian physicians, such as Zakariya Razi and Avicenna, played a significant role in the development of this science. Unfortunately, their findings are often recorded under the names of other scholars. Iranian researchers must now compensate for these oversights by studying ancient sources.
Teaching the Basics of Iranian Medicine
- Teaching the concept and content of Iranian medicine
- Extracting terms from Iranian medical manuscripts
- Combining traditional and modern therapeutic methods
- Developing a glossary of Iranian medicine
- Examining dosage forms used in ancient medicine
- Comparing ancient dosage forms with modern pharmacy
- Describing methods for preparing ancient dosage forms
- Collecting multiple manuscripts from old medical books
- Utilizing the latest scientific research findings