A Review of Rabies Treatment Methods in Ancient Iran

Abstract

Rabies is a fatal viral disease affecting warm-blooded mammals (bats, carnivores, and ruminants) and even humans. The virus is usually transmitted between humans or other animals through the bite of infected animals. However, there are unusual ways to share the virus, such as organ transplants. Rabies has been known in the ancient world since about 2300 BC. Dogs were commonly known as the leading carriers of the disease. There were strange methods that were sometimes mixed with superstition and thought to treat or prevent rabies effectively. In ancient Iran, rabies was endemic. Scientists such as Avicenna (Ibn Sina, 980-1037 AD), Rhazes (Abu Bakr Al-Razi, 964-864 AD), Al-Biruni (970-1050 AD), Jorjani (1042-1136 AD), and Akhawyni Bokhari (913-971 AD) have described rabies, transmission, and treatment methods. This study aimed to present the development history of treatment methods against rabies based on ancient Iran's culture, civilization, and knowledge and examine its progress and development of practical skills against rabies.