فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

In this article, after a sociological review of the medical history of ancient times, the sociological approaches and models of health and illness before the appearance of modern medicine have been studied, with an emphasis on the characteristics of three main systems of ancient medicine including the medical system of ancient Greece (humoral pathology), the medical system of ancient China (acupuncture), and the ayurvedic medicine of ancient India (Ayurveda). The main focus of these systems, unlike individualistic systems, has been on metaphysical factors and phenomena. The most principle feature which is common in these systems is the determination of an illness on the basis of balance or lack of balance the main elements of the body, in which the lack of balance would be associated with internal or external (natural) forces. In this regard, illness was considered as an impersonal phenomenon, and the concept of “balance” was the basis of the etiology of illness.