Geller - Ancient Babylonian Medicine: Theory and Practice

Ancient Cultures

These enjoyable, straightforward surveys of key themes in ancient culture are ideal for anyone new to the study of the ancient world. Each book reveals the excitement of discovering the diverse lifestyles, ideals, and beliefs of ancient peoples.

Published

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Markham J. Geller

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Markham J. Geller

This edition first published 2010

2010 Markham J. Geller

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Geller, Markham J.

Ancient Babylonian medicine : theory and practice / Markham J. Geller.

v. cm. (Ancient cultures)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents: Introduction to Babylonian medicine and magic Medicine as science Who did what to whom? The politics of medicine Medicine as literature Medicine and philosophy Medical training : MD or PhD? Uruk medical commentaries Medicine and magic as independent approaches to healing Appendix: An edition of a medical commentary.

ISBN 978-1-4051-2652-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Medicine, Assyro-Babylonian.

2. Medicine, Assyro-BabylonianPhilosophy. 3. Medicine, Assyro-BabylonianMethodology. 4. Magic, Assyro-Babylonian. I. Title.

R135.3.G44 2010

610.938dc22

2009046375

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

I 2010

To Florentina

This book was made possible by a grant from the Wellcome Trust, which allowed me to spend the 20056 academic year at the Collge de France and cole Pratique des Hautes tudes, Paris, through the invitation of J.-M. Durand. Further work on the manuscript was carried out during two research visits to the Max Planck Institut fr Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Berlin, courtesy of Peter Damerow and Jrgen Renn. These visits were funded by grants from the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung (Wiederaufnahme Stipendium) and the TOPOI Excellence Cluster of the Freie Universitt Berlin, with Eva Cancik-Kirschbaum as my