own case, or in the case known to them; and no one is allowed to pass the sick man in silence without asking him what his ailment is.[1]
The Babylonians held some rather strange beliefs
regarding the construction of the human body and the
manner in which its functions are performed. The living
being, as they maintained, is composed of soul and body.
The intellect has its seat in the heart, the liver serving as
the central organ for the blood, which they considered to
be the true life principle. They divided this fluid into two
kinds—blood of the daytime (bright arterial) and that of
the night (dark venous). Although the blood was held
by them to be the basis of life, they evidently attached a
certain value to respiration, for one of their prayers begins
with these words: "God, my creator, lead me by the hand;
guide the breath of my mouth." Disease was always looked
upon as something (usually personified as a demon) that
entered the body from without and that consequently had
to be expelled. There were special demons for the different
diseases. Thus, Asakku brought fever to the head, Namtar
threatened life with the plague, and Utukku attacked the
throat, Alu the breast, Gallu the hand, Rabisu the skin, and
so on. The most dreaded demons were the spirits of
the dead. Special amulets were employed as protective
remedies. Prayer formulae were also used. Here is one
among several that I find mentioned in Neuburger's
treatise:—
Wicked Consumption, villainous Consumption, Consumption
which never leaves a man, Consumption which cannot be driven
away, Consumption which cannot be induced to leave, Bad
Consumption, in the name of Heaven be placated, in the name of
Earth I conjure thee!
The genuine remedial agents employed in Babylonia
were of a most varied nature: a mixture of honey and
syrup of dates; medicinal herbs of different kinds for
internal administration; bloodletting; the use of cups for
drawing blood to the surface of the body; warm baths and
- ↑ Book I., section 197, of Rawlinson's translation.
