Journal of Research on History of Medicine
Volume:12 Issue: 4, Nov 2023

Increasing obesity rates are an enduring concern for the health sector globally.   By the beginning of the 21st century, neuroscientists began to assert that obesity is primarily a brain disorder. The resulting field of obesity neuroscience has become an influential lens through which to research the pathogenesis of diet-induced obesity, with important implications for both public health and bioethics. This historical analysis aims to trace the intellectual origins of the obesity neuroscience discipline by examining two historical events: the United States’ war on drugs, and the nutrition transition.  Major historical milestones associated with each of these events are analyzed. Then, the convergence of these events is characterized, by an analysis of how this transformed neuroscience research on hunger.  This analysis demonstrates how the US war on drugs discovered new neurobehavioral epistemologies, predominately around addiction, that were then grafted onto the existing neuroscience of hunger.  The resulting analysis provides an illustrative explanation of the close epistemological relationship between obesity neuroscience and addiction.

Research on Persian medical literature has revealed a long history of moral excellence and devotion to the medical field. Ali Ibn Rabban Tabari also emphasized the importance of these qualities, as Islamic culture highly values the traits of physicians. In our discussion, we will explore the qualities of physicians and medical students from the perspective presented by Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari in his widely read book, Firdous al-Hikma. One section of this work focuses on the professional, ethical, and physical qualities that define a doctor and a medical student. The book stands out as one of Iran’s medical encyclopedias.Among them is Ali ibn Rabban Tabari, a prominent figure in the history of Persian Medicine, who made significant contributions to the establishment of ethical principles in the field of medicine. His perspectives and insights hold considerable value as one of the earliest endeavors in this area, exerting a substantial influence on the advancement of medical ethics.

This paper examines the history of blackwater fever in northern Nigeria from 1900 to 1918, a period that coincided with the establishment of modern health services. It will examine the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of blackwater fever in northern Nigeria, as well as the social, economic, and political impacts of the disease on the colonial government. The paper will use both primary and secondary sources, such as archival records, medical reports, newspapers, journals, and books, to construct a comprehensive and critical narrative of the history of blackwater fever in northern Nigeria. It will also use a historical framework that considers the political economy of colonialism. The paper will argue that the history of blackwater fever in northern Nigeria reveals the double standard in British health policy in Africa. The paper will conclude by arguing that the history of blackwater fever in northern Nigeria provides a valuable case study of the double standard in British health policy in Africa. The British government was willing to invest in the health of its own citizens, but it was not willing to do the same for the Africans under its rule. This double standard had a profound impact on the health of the African population.

Clinical prediction plays a vital role in clinical care, as it informs healthcare professionals, patients, and their relatives of the possible disease outcome, helping them to make a medical decision and improve health outcomes, if possible. Much more credit is often given to a physician for a correct prognosis than for the acute diagnosis or skilled treatment that underlies his statement about the course of the disease and its termination. Hippocrates established medicine as a scientific profession based on clinical observation and rational inquiry. Hippocrates and his followers focused more on prognosis than diagnosis. He mastered the art of prognosis based on the patient’s signs and symptoms of diseases. The Book of Prognostics is a treatise attributed to him and fully dedicated to this prognostic approach. This book alone is sufficient to prove his greatness in terms of medical care and the art of healing. In this paper, his prognostic approach toward diseases with the help of signs and symptoms will be explored.

Nizamuddin Ahmad Gilani’s “Medical Treatise” is a concise Persian-language treatise on medical sciences. Nizamuddin Ahmad was a prominent physician during the Safavid era, with a substantial body of work across various scientific domains, particularly medicine. His scholarly contributions underscore Gilani’s expertise in numerous scientific disciplines, with a particular emphasis on medical knowledge. The “Medical Treatise” comprises an introduction and fifteen chapters. In the introduction, the author explores the significance of medical science based on verses from the Holy Qur’an, hadiths attributed to the Holy Prophet and Imams, as well as the wisdom of sages, equating it with religious and Sharia studies. Subsequently, in the fifteen chapters, the text delves into the description of diseases, their causes and treatments, and the insights of esteemed sages like Galen, Hippocrates, and Luqman. This research focuses on the examination and review of the medical treatise available in the Library, Museum, and Documents Center of the Islamic Council.

Rhazes, or Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyā al-Rāzī (854-925 CE), was an Iranian physician, philosopher and chemist. He learned medicine more through the hospital and so-called clinical observations and, therefore, spent more time on his studies; this can be seen in his works and writings. He used the writings of medical predecessors and cited them in his writings. He followed and completed their works and sometimes wrote critiques on their works. In his written medical works, Rhazes has paid special attention to various diseases, notably tumors and cancer. It is noteworthy that over a thousand years ago, a skilled physician presented his explanation and treatment strategies for nasal cancer and tumor status.