History of sickness and medical art 9： Mesopotamia 1

 

＜　Herodotus, Greek historian ＞

I introduce the medical art of ancient civilization.

First, a role that medical art of the ancient civilization fulfilled in the society is described.

Then, I introduce it of ancient Mesopotamian civilization.

これから古代文明の医術を見て行きます。

最初に古代文明の医術が果たした役割を述べます。

次いで最古のメソポタミア文明を見ます。

＜　The upper part of the Code of Hammurabi: a scene that the sun god confers a code to the King ＞

Things that medical art of the ancient civilization fulfilled.

Also in ancient civilization, as we saw in non-literate society, people thought for that God and grudges cause many sicknesses.

Divine services and black art was important for the curing.

The more the solution of a problem like hard cure is difficult, the more the people depended on power of God for it.

The kings of the ancient town also depended on God.

The epidemic would rage along with urbanization.

However, when the literate society advanced, the medical art progressed, and the understanding to the sickness advanced.

This brought people the recognition for their society and the satisfaction that advanced more.

The religion that had come into being in the cultural sphere having higher medical arts was venerated, and spread.

On the other hand, the relation between the medical arts and the religion produced various local differences by the national history.

All was the big consciousness change that happened on the earth of ante-Christum.

We look at the situation in order of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel, India, China, Greece.

                                                   

古代文明の医術がもたらしたもの

古代文明においても、無文字社会で見たように神や悪魔、恨みが多くの病を引き起こすと考えられ、神事と呪術で治療することが重要だった。

治療も含めた問題解決に、手に負えないものほど人々は神の力に頼った。

古代文明の王達も神に頼った。

都市化が進むほど伝染病は猛威を振るうことになった。

しかし文字使用が進むと医術も進歩し、病への理解も進んだ。

これはより深い理解と満足を人々にもたらした。

進んだ医術を持つ文化圏で誕生した宗教は崇敬され広まった。

一方、医術と宗教の関わりは、その国家の成り立ちによって地域差が生じた。

すべては紀元前の地球全域で始めて起きた大きな精神変化でした。

その様子を、メソポタミア、エジプト、イスラエル、インド、中国、ギリシャの順に見ていきます。

＜　a formulary of Sumerian doctor, BC2200　＞

In Mesopotamia

Preface

The activities of the doctor have been written down in the Code of Hammurabi that King of the Babylon made at the middle of the 18th century.

From the remains of a library in Nineveh of Assyria Empire, the clay tablet of the medicine document of 800 sheets written before the last 7th century was found.

メソポタミアでは

はじめに

前１８世紀中頃、バビロンの王が造ったハムラビ法典には医者の活動が記されていた。

アッシリア帝国のニネベの図書館跡から、前7世紀以前に書かれた８００枚の医術書の粘土板が見つかった。

＜　The reappearance figure of ancient city Babylonia: At 100 years after the construction of Ishtar gate in blue, Herodotus visited this ground. ＞

The 5th century B.C., Greek historian Herodotus has written about medical care of Babylonia in "the history".

“Because the doctor is not in this country, the sick person is taken to the open space without being put in the house. If a passerby knows about the sickness, he will go to a sick person's side and will give wisdom about sickness.”

  

He drew a situation sharing treatment experience in society.

Because he couldn't watch the doctor like in Greece, he thought that there was not any doctor.

However, there were doctors unlike Greece in the Babylon.

From next time, I look at the medical art of ancient Mesopotamia.

前５世紀、ギリシャの歴史家ヘロドトスはバビロニアの医療について「歴史」に以下のように書いていた。

「この国には医者というものがいないので、病人は家に置かず広場に連れて行く。・・・通行人は病気について知っていれば、病人の傍らへ行って病気について知恵を授ける。・・・」

彼は治療経験を社会で共有する姿を描いている。

彼はギリシャにいたような町医者を見なかったから、医者がいないと考えた。

しかしバビロンにはギリシャと異なる医者達がいた。

次回より、古代メソポタミアの医術を見ます。

We traveled from Nagano to Gifu. ４ : Takayama

I introduce the traditional streetscape of Takayama city in Gifu Prefecture.

The festival and the early-morning market that are performed here are also famous.

岐阜県高山市の歴史ある街並みを紹介します。

ここは祭りと朝市でも有名です。

＜　a streetscape　＞

Upper:  Many traditional buildings of shop, liquor store, and restaurant are saved.

Lower left:  The store of the beef dish in which we had the lunch.

Lower right: We rode on the man-pulled cart and did sightseeing the town.

上　：　街並み。江戸時代の商店、酒屋、料理屋のたたずまいが保存されています。

左下：　昼食で入った飛騨牛の料理屋。

右下：　人力車に乗って街巡り。

＜　this river flows through in Takayama city　＞

Upper:　The floats of the spring festival go. Several dolls that can do a witty move are attached to the floats.

lower left:　Many fish swim in this clear stream.

lower right:　Distant view from this river

上：　春祭りの山車が行く。複雑で軽妙な動きをするからくり人形が取り付けられている。

左下：　この川を泳ぐ魚

右下：　宮川から望む

＜　early-morning market　＞

Upper:　A street of early-morning market　

Lower left:　 Woodworks

Lower right:  Pickles

Many shops line upalong a riverside all morning.

The shops are very small and aunts are selling.

上：　朝市の通り。

左下：　飛騨の木工細工。

右下：　漬け物。

午前中、宮川沿いにたくさんの店が並びます。

店は非常に小さく、多くはおばさん達が売っています。

＜　supper　＞

We ate the supper of Japanese inn with the sunken hearth.

We roasted and ate a sweetfish, and a skewered rice-cake that was dipped in miso

I looked back at those days when I had visited my father hometown as a child.

This traveler's diary terminates in this.

旅館での夕食は囲炉裏でした。

五平餅と鮎を炭火で焼いて食べました。

幼い頃、父の田舎に帰郷した当時を私は懐かしく思い出しました。

これで、この旅行記は終わります。

We traveled from Nagano to Gifu. ３ : Shirakawa-go(village) ２

＜　Wada’s house   　＞

I introduce the inside of the architecture with A-frame, the four seasons and the living of the mountain village.

今回は、合掌造りの家、白川郷の四季と暮らしを紹介します。

＜　four seasons, this photo are the good will of http://blog.livedoor.jp/nagu0223/　　＞

A:  A rice planting in spring. It is reproducing old work.

B:　A harvest of rice has finished, so it become a good time to see autumn leaves. We see Hakusan Mountains to the right side back.

C:　being buried in snow in winter, people shut themselves up in their house.

D:  All villagers must put on a new roof of about two houses with some kind of grass together every year.

I observed the Wada’s house.   　

This family served as a village mayor at Edo Ｐeriod, and prospered by business of gun smoke.

The gun smoke that is materials of gunpowder was produced by fermenting some kind of grass under a floor.

This was important industry for several hundred years in this area.

This house is 300 years since the construction, and a family has lived together with dozens of people in it.

A：　春の田植え。昔の作業を再現。

B：　稲の収穫が終わり、紅葉に染まる。右奥に白山。

C：　冬は雪に埋もれ、人々は家に閉じこもる。

D：　秋に茅を刈り、村人総出で年に一二軒、屋根の葺き替えを行う。

和田家を見学

この家は江戸時代、庄屋を務め、硝煙の取引によって栄えた。

火薬の原料である硝煙は、床下で、ある草を発酵させて作った。

これは、この地方の数百年前からの大事な産業だった。

この家は築後３００年を経ており、一家族数十人が住んでいた。

＜　Big living room of the first floor　　＞

A thick beam is impressive.

太い梁が印象的だ。

＜　Drawing room of the first floor　＞

I：　Drawing room.

J：　alcove in a traditional Japanese room where picture was displayed.

K： a family Buddhist altar and Buddha statue.

I：　客間。

J：　客間の床の間。水墨画が掛かっている。

K：　仏間の仏壇。金箔の仏壇と仏像。

＜　Workshop of the second floor　　＞

It is one big room with a wooden floor, has big windows to the north and south.

There is a room also in the third floor.

The several places of the floor were floor grates, and smoke and warmth have risen through it from under.

The pillar shines black with soot of the smoke.

一つの大きな板の間で、南北に大きな窓がある。

3階にも部屋がある。

床の所々は簀の子になっており、下から煙と暖気が昇ってくる。

柱は煙の煤で黒光りしている。

＜　silkworm shelf of the second floor ＞

Silkworms eat the leaf of the mulberry.

The cocoon has been placed on a shelf over it.

For several hundred years, the sericulture was active in this district.

蚕の白い幼虫が桑の葉を食べている。

その上に繭が置かれている。

数百年前から、養蚕はこの地方で盛んだった。

＜　Structure of the house　＞

E： A figure of the architecture with A-frame. The roof is a steep slope so that snow makes it easier to fall.

F： the pillar of the roof was tied up with rope.

At first, the carpenter built the important first floor that receives the huge roof.

After that, villager together put up the roof over it.

Daily necessities that were made of straw have hung.

During winter, family may have knitted straw hard.

G： The sunken hearth in the living room.

In winter, I feel nostalgic for burning firewood and the charcoal in it.

H： The ceiling of the living room. We can see floor grates for air vent port.

E：　合掌造りの図。雪が落下するように屋根が急勾配。

F：　縄で縛った屋根の柱組構造。

巨大な屋根を受ける1階の建築は当初、富山藩の大工が行い、屋根は村人が協力して立てた。

藁で作られた日用品が吊されている。冬の間、家人がせっせと藁を編んだことだろう。

G：　居間にある囲炉裏。冬、薪や炭の赤々と燃える火が懐かしい。

H：　居間の天井。簀の子状の通気口が見える。

People adapted well in narrow arable land and severe winter.

Arable land was not decreased because one large family lived in one house, and production and preservation were done in the warm large room.

The material that make big roof possible, the production material, and fuel were in the mountain abundantly.

Moreover, villager's cooperation enabled construction of the house, and putting on the new roof.

It might have increased by Buddhism, or the isolation of the village more.

I became glad when I thought that there was the warm " a group-oriented culture" here once.

Next time, I introduce the town of Takayama.

人々は、狭い耕地と厳しい冬に上手く適応した。

大家族が一つ屋根で暮らすことにより耕地を減らさず、暖かく広い室内で生産と保存をおこなった。

大屋根を可能にする材料、生産材料、燃料は山に豊富にあった。

また村人の合力が、建築や葺き替えを可能にした。

それは孤立と宗教（浄土真宗）によってさらに増したのかもしれない。

かつてここに温かい「和の心」があったことを思うと、うれしくなった。

次回は、高山の町を案内します。

We traveled from Nagano to Gifu. ２ : Shirakawa-go(village) 1

 

I introduced Shirakawa-go of the world heritage in Gifu Prefecture.

This is a mountain village of the unexplored region in where many old houses with A-frame remain.

The characteristic of the architecture with A-frame is the big triangle roof that is made of thatch.

岐阜県にある世界遺産の白川郷を紹介します。

ここは合掌造りの古民家が残る秘境の山村です。

合掌造りの特徴は、茅で葺いた大きな三角屋根です。

＜　Position of Shirakawa-go　＞

Upper map: The upper side is the north, and Japan Sea can be seen. A red mark is Shirakawa-go.

Lower map:  it is viewing the yellow frame from north, by Google Earth.

The basin is sandwiched by two mountain ranges as much as 2,000m high, and heavy snow is brought from Japan Sea in winter.

上の地図：　上側が北で、日本海が見える。赤い点が白川郷

下の地図：　黄色い枠を北から見た。Google Earthによる　

この盆地は周囲を2000ｍ級の山脈に挟まれ、冬には日本海から大雪がもたらされます。

＜　A sightseeing map and a full view of Shirakawa-go ＞

Old houses crowd in the small basin.

Many stores like old house are in line along both sides of a highway, and many tourists are enjoying the atmosphere of the mountain village.

狭い盆地に古民家が密集している。

街道の両側には古民家風の商店が並んでおり、多くの観光客が山里の雰囲気を楽しんでいる。

＜　Shogawa is flowing through the side of the basin. 　＞

The rice plant and vegetables are planted in the narrow field around the old houses.

The living of a mountain village from several hundred years ago has been breathing here.

民家の周囲の狭い田畑には稲や野菜が植えられている。

数百年前からの山里の暮らしが、ここに息づいている。

＜　A gate of the temple. The thatched gate is unusual.　＞

＜　The Yahata Shinto shrine surrounded by gigantic tree.　＞

Walking along the village, I felt unaccountable warmth.

Why were many large houses like this made in narrow arable that was completely isolated with mountains? 

May its reason be based on living in snow and a deep forest?

Next time, I introduce the inside of the architecture with A-frame, and the four seasons of the mountain village.

And I investigate a way of the living.

村を歩いていて、私は不思議な温もりを感じた。

この山深く隔絶された猫の額ほどの耕地に、これほどの大きい家がなぜ多数作られたのだろうか？

それは人々が雪と深い森との関わり方にあったのだろうか？

次回は、合掌造りの内部と山里の四季を紹介し、その暮らしぶりを探ります。

We traveled from Nagano to Gifu. 1 : We drove our car from Lake Suwa to Takayama.

＜　There was a pleasure boat at Lake Suwa southern lakeside. 　＞

On this August 24 and 25, we left Lake Suwa, stopped at Shirakawa-go(village),and went to Takayama.

We passed through the Japanese central spine of mountains, and visited a big lake, an old folk house, and the old town.

This time, I introduce the scene that we saw while we went round Lake Suwa, went along Azusagawa(river), and got over Hida mountain range by a car.

On this day, it was overcast weather, and light rain occasionally.

However, I had a comfortable driving, because there wasn’t dazzling sunlight.

今年の８月２４、２５日に、私達は諏訪湖を出発し白川郷に寄り、次いで高山に行った。

私達は日本の中央の山脈を抜けて、湖や古民家、古い街並みを訪れた。

今回、私は諏訪湖の一周、梓川沿い、飛騨山脈越えの景色を紹介します。

この日は曇りがちで、時折、小雨が降った。

しかし日射しがきつくなく快適だった。

＜　This trip's map : Three red marks are this sightseeing areas. A yellow line is this route.　＞

This red mark shows Lake Suwa, takayama, and Shirakawa-go from the right by rotation.

.

赤点の右から左へ、諏訪湖、高山、白川郷と並んでいる。

＜　Kamisuwa hot spring resort in Lake Suwa southern lakeside ＞

Here are the most amusement center and many leisure facilities.

The fireworks display was held one week ago here.

ここは一番の繁華街で、レジャー施設も多い。

1週間前、ここで花火大会が行われた。

＜ Viewing the south side of Lake Suwa from the opposite lakeside ＞

The altitude of Lake Suwa is about 800 m, and is 16 km in boundary length.

This lake is surrounded by beautiful plateaus and mountains.

The maintained lakefront is a recreation area of citizen, and a jogging trail.

Mt. Fuji looks small at the center of this photograph, and in the back at which the mountain range broke off.

諏訪湖の標高は約８００ｍで、周囲長１６ｋｍです。

この湖は周囲を美しい高原や山々に囲まれている。

整備された湖岸は市民の憩いの場、ジョギングルートになっている。

写真中央、山脈が途切れた奥に富士山が小さく見える。

＜　Lake Suwa northern likeside   　＞

Many citizens practiced the regatta early in the morning.

朝早くから、多くの市民がレガッタの練習を行っていた。

＜　Nagano Expressway, Matsumoto area　　＞

＜　going up along Azusagawa toward Kamikochi　＞

We climbed by our car.

ここから車で登坂することになる。

＜　passing through Okuhida at 1300 m elevation　＞

This place is the highest altitude among this route.

今回のドライブで最も標高が高い所です。

＜　crossing a mountain range finishes, and it will be soon at Takayama　＞

The rice is beginning to grow yellow.

Next time, we visit Shirakawa-go of world heritage that famous for a roof style.

稲が黄色く実り始めていた。

次回は、世界遺産の合掌造りで有名な白川郷を訪ねます。

History of sickness and medical art 8 : modern humans, the oldest medical art

 

＜　trepanation　＞

This time, I investigate vestiges of oldest medical art of our modern humans.

It shows a positive will to medical treatment, and a spirit of bold challenge.

今回、我々人類最古の医術の痕跡を探ります。

そこには治療への旺盛な意欲、果敢なチャレンジ精神がありました。

＜　Code of Hammurabi　＞

The oldest proof that shows the existence of a doctor and a medicine document was in Middle and Near East.

The Code of Hammurabi of the 18th century B.C. is a collection of laws of the city state of Mesopotamia.

There are two strange articles (summary) in this.

"When a doctor treats a fracture or intestines, the patient must pay a silver coin."

"If a doctor cut a patient’s eyes with a bronze knife and made him blind, the doctor's hand has to be cut."

It is shown that doctors cured patients broadly, and received rewards, and were held responsible for mistake.

Surprisingly a doctor seems to operate on a patient with stinging his eyeball with thin needle.

The surgery became common, and therefore the regulations were necessary.

A cataract surgery of ancient Roman times might originate from this surgery.

医者や医術書の存在を示す最古の証しは、中近東にあった。

紀元前１８世紀のハムラビ法典はメソポタミアの都市国家の法律集です。

この中に二つの奇異な条文がある（要約）。

「医者が骨折や腸を治療した場合、患者は銀貨を支払う。」

「医者が青銅のナイフで目を切開して失明させれば、手を切らなければならない。」

これらは医者が幅広く治療を行い、報酬を受け取り、さらには責任を問われることを示している。

驚くべきことに、眼球に細い針を刺し、手術をしていたらしく、法で規定しなければならいほど普及していた。

古代ローマ時代の白内障手術はこの手術が伝わったのかも知れない。

＜　a medical book of papyrus　＞

In Egypt from the 20th century B.C., a lot of papyruses that the surgery and the internal medicine were written were found.

A part of these description will be old more than 1000 years additionally.

In a relief engraving of about 2500 years B.C., a scene of performing circumcision with a knife was described.

エジプトで紀元前２０世紀から、外科や内科の医術が書かれたパピルスが多数見つかっている。

これらの記述はさらに1千年以上遡るものがある。

紀元前２５００年頃のレリーフに、ナイフによって割礼手術を受けている様子が描かれている。

＜　a relief engraving of performing circumcision in Egypt　＞

The oldest example of the surgery was discovered in a burial site of the Neolithic era in France.

The skull of a male at about 5000 B.C. has been bored two holes into.

Since the bone tissue of the holes section was being reproduced, it is thought that it is remains of medical treatment.

The skull seems to have been cut open with a sharp stone implement like the volcanic glass.

There was an example that a cut disk of the remains was buried together with the dead body.

Such trepanations of prehistoric times are found widely in Europe, China, and Peru.

It has been said that the reason why such dangerous surgery was carried out was to send away a demon.

However, many of these surgeries were concentrating on the left-hand side of male heads, because they treated the injury of the battle.

The survival rate of the trepanation was considerably high, it was 25-80% in medieval Europe, ancient German, and ancient Peru.

Modern humans already were widely doing considerably difficult treatments from prehistory until ancient times.

From the next time, I introduce the medical art of the ancient civilization.

現存する最古の手術例は、フランスの新石器時代の埋葬地で発見された。

紀元前５０００年頃の男性の頭蓋骨に二つの穴があいていた。

この穴断面の骨組織が再生していることから治療跡だと考えられる。

黒曜石などの鋭い石器で環状に切開したらしく、切り取られた円盤が共に埋葬された例がある。

このような先史時代の穿頭術はヨーロッパ、中国、ペルーで広く見つかっている。

このような危険な手術が行われた理由は、古くは悪霊を追い払う為とされていた。

しかし、この手術の多くが男性頭の左側に集中しており、戦闘の負傷を治療したらしい。

穿頭術後の生存率はかなり高く、中世ヨーロッパや古代ゲルマン、古代ペルーで２５～８０％だった。

先史から古代にかけて、既に人類はかなり難しい治療を広く行っていた。

次回から、古代文明の医術を見て行きます。