Search

Background and purpose: Rabies is an ancient lethal disease in human civilization that endangers the life of many of its victims in case of ineffective treatments. Although the definition, etiology, semiology, and treatment of rabies exist in Islamic medical texts, but they are unintentionally or sometimes intentionally being neglected. This article aimed at studying the knowledge of the physicians of Islamic era about the naming, definition, and etiology of rabies. Materials and methods: In this qualitative content analysis, data were collected from the medical texts of the Islamic civilization using the following words and phrases as the keywords: rabies, dāʾ al-kalab, madness of dog, mad dog, and bitten by a rabid dog. Data were organized according to the naming, definition, and etiology of rabid. Careful survey of the notes was carried out and duplicates were removed. Results: Findings showed that physicians of the Islamic world had a perfect perception about rabies and its etiology based on the edge of knowledge at their time. Alas, this knowledge remained in books and is not considered in current science. Conclusion: The knowledge of the Muslims about rabies was neither based on superstition nor the repetition of Greeks and Romans. There are noticeable materials to define the reasons for the emergence of the rabies in dogs that deserve more attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: In Persian medicine, it is believed that the creation of life and its continuation depends on Innate Moisture, and natural human death occurs when this moisture ends. Despite the use of this term in medical texts, there is no acceptable understanding of this concept. The purpose of this research was to provide a systematic summary of data about Innate Moisture from the perspective of traditional physicians in different centuries, to explain that and enable more use of this concept in clinical setting. Materials and methods: The keywords in this study were as follows: Innate Moisture, Original Moisture, Moisture, al-Rotuba al-Ghrizia, al-Rotuba al-Asliyyah, Innate Humidity, and Natural Moisture in both Persian and English. We used Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis which consists of a series of overlapping steps whose main goal is to clarify the concept. Results: In medical books, Moisture is considered from two perspectives: Moisture as an accident (quality) and Moisture as a substance (moist substance). Innate Moisture is present as a moist substance in the human body. The nature of Innate Moisture is less discussed in sources, but physicians are in agreement about its role as a main basis for the continuation of human life. Conclusion: Innate Moisture can be divided into two types; original (originated from zygote) and non-original (originated from nutrition). Non-original Innate Moistures are considered as alternative for original Innate Moisture so that the original Innate Moisture is reduced less and remains as long as the natural life of the person continues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]