The civilization of ancient Mesopotamia was one of the most important ancient civilizations, which reached a significant cultural and scientific development including the field of medicine. Medicine was institutionalized discipline, physicians were systematically educated, medical practice was based on a written tradition, which includes long-term experience and observation. Gynecology, pregnancy care and obstetrics were an important part of the medical tradition, because having many children (especially sons) was key essential for Mesopotamian women. Non-medical Mesopotamian texts describe the physical picture of the ideal fertile women and medical texts complete information about investigating of menstruation, state of the external genitalia, and the occurrence of various gynecological complications. Doctors were acquainted with the principles of conception and length of pregnancy. They tried to verify the pregnancy using the primitive methods and to determine the future child's sex as well. There were extended methods of birth control. The most serious and most frequent problems in medical texts were: infertility, bleeding in pregnancy, and miscarriages. Physicians were treating these problems using a combination of magic and pharmaceutical therapy. Mesopotamian medicine was not able to understand the relationship between the cause of the disease, its symptoms and appropriate treatment. Nevertheless there is a considerable progress in the field of diagnostics. Mesopotamian medicine presents an integral part of the major ancient medical system and a unique stage in the development of medical science.

Katedra blízkovýchodních studií Filozofická fakulta Západočeská univerzita Plzeň

Gynecology in Ancient Mesopotamia

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