Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
PhD student in Iranian Studies after Islam, Department of History, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Lecturer in the Department of History, Yasouj University.
2
Associate Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran.
Abstract
During the Qajar era, Iranian society was facing a gradual transition from tradition to modernity, especially in the field of health and treatment. Folk beliefs, traditional Iranian medicine, and the early influences of Western medicine played an influential role in shaping the public attitude towards health and treatment methods. Foreign travelers' reports provide a striking picture of Iranian society's approach to illness, treatment, and the concept of health during this period, which shows a combination of individual experiences, superstitious beliefs, and nascent efforts of modern medicine. This study, using historical texts, examines the influence and spread of folk medical beliefs, traditional Iranian medicine, Western medicine, and superstitious elements in Qajar Iranian society. During this period, people had diverse attitudes toward the causes of diseases and treatment methods, which were often based on traditional medicine, individual experiences, or institutionalized beliefs. This research, using a historical method and analyzing data extracted from reliable sources, explains historical statements related to healing in popular beliefs. The main question of the research is what factors were influential in the promotion and growth of folk beliefs in the treatment and medicine practices of the Qajar period, and what position did folk beliefs have in the medical practices of the Qajar period? The findings show that individual attitudes and acquired group experiences played a significant role in explaining the causes of disease and choosing treatment methods. Folk medicine and modern medicine were present in society at the same time, but the resistance of a large part of society to modern treatment methods, due to the weakness of health facilities, specific climatic and social conditions, and the lack of public awareness of modern medicine, contributed to the spread of folk healing beliefs in the Qajar era.
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