Babylonians and Assyrians : $b Life and customsSayce, A. H. (Archibald Henry)
History
Babylonians and Assyrians : $b Life and customs
Sayce, A. H. (Archibald Henry)
Assyria -- Social life and customs; Babylonia -- Social life and customs
Among them, however, as has been already said, are some of a more private
character. Here, for instance, is one which reminds us that human nature
is much the same in all ages of the world: “To the king my lord, thy
servant, Saul-miti-yuballidh: Salutation to the king my lord; may Nebo and
Merodach for ever and ever be gracious to the king my lord. Bau-gamilat,
the handmaid of the king, is constantly ill; she cannot eat a morsel of
food; let the king send orders that some physician may go and see her.” In
another letter the writer expresses his gratitude to the King for his
kindness in sending him his own doctor, who had cured him of a serious
disease. “May Istar of Erech,” he says, “and Nana (of Bit-Ana) grant long
life to the king my lord, for he sent Basa the physician of the king my
lord to save my life and he has cured me; therefore may the great gods of
heaven and earth be gracious to the king my lord, and may they establish
the throne of the king my lord in heaven for ever; since I was dead, and
the king has restored me to life.” In fact there are a good many letters
which relate to medical matters. Thus Dr. Johnston gives the following
translation of a letter from a certain Arad-Nana, who seems to have been a
consulting physician, to Esar-haddon about a friend of the prince who had
suffered from violent bleeding of the nose: “As regards the patient who
has a bleeding from the nose, the Rab-Mag (or chief physician) reports:
‘Yesterday, toward evening, there was a good deal of hæmorrhage.’ The
dressings have not been properly applied. They have been placed outside
the nostrils, oppressing the breathing and coming off when there is
hæmorrhage. Let them be put inside the nostrils and then the air will be
excluded and the hæmorrhage stopped. If it is agreeable to my lord the
king I will go to-morrow and give instructions; (meanwhile) let me know
how the patient is.” Another letter from Arad-Nana translated by the same
Assyriologist is as follows: “To the king my lord, thy servant Arad-Nana:
May there be peace for ever and ever to the king my lord. May Ninip and
Gula grant health of soul and body to the king my lord. All is going on
well with the poor fellow whose eyes are diseased. I had applied a
dressing covering the face. Yesterday, toward evening, undoing the bandage
which held it (in place), I removed the dressing. There was pus upon the
dressing, the size of the tip of the little finger. If any of your gods
set his hand thereto, let him say so. Salutation for ever! Let the heart
of the king my lord be rejoiced. Within seven or eight days the patient
will recover.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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