Book documents ten centuries of medical history in Semnan
Medicine is more than the treatment of illness; it is also an integral part of a society’s history. In Semnan, generations of physicians have contributed to public health, leaving a legacy that The History of Medicine and Physicians in Semnan seeks to preserve.
The book chronicles ten centuries of medical practice in the Iranian city, documenting the lives of more than 100 physicians and tracing the development of healthcare facilities across different historical periods, according to IRNA.
From early forms of treatment carried out with limited resources to the establishment of hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and specialized medical services, healthcare has long been intertwined with everyday life. Physicians, too, have played a role beyond treating individual patients, becoming part of the social and cultural history of the communities they served.
Much of Semnan’s medical history has remained scattered across written records, personal recollections and surviving documents. Without systematic efforts to collect and preserve these accounts, significant parts of this heritage risk being lost.
The book brings together the biographies of more than 100 physicians who lived and worked from the 10th century to the 1980s. It also examines the history of eight hospitals, from the Qajar era to the present day, as well as 16 clinics and eight pharmacies.
The research extended beyond written sources, drawing on the memories and firsthand accounts of people familiar with the city’s medical past.
Mohammad (Amir) Azizoddin, one of the book’s authors, said the scarcity of written records, the deaths of several physicians and difficulties contacting doctors who had emigrated, as well as their families, posed major challenges for the research. These obstacles, he said, underscored the importance of oral history and interviews with people familiar with the subject.
According to Azizoddin, the researchers conducted approximately 150 hours of oral-history interviews with 70 people. They also consulted more than 150 pages of historical documents, over 100 photographs and 80 books and articles.
The book additionally records the names of more than 1,050 healthcare professionals, including general practitioners, specialists and subspecialists, dentists, pharmacists, laboratory professionals, nurses and midwives.
Abdoljavad Rahimpour, a veteran figure in Iran’s dentistry sector, described the publication as a valuable contribution to preserving Semnan’s medical and scientific heritage for future generations.
He emphasized that collecting historical documents, written sources and oral accounts is essential to reconstructing the history of medicine. Preserving such works, he added, also helps safeguard a region’s cultural identity while highlighting the contributions of physicians and other healthcare professionals across generations.
Saeed Dehghanlou, director-general of Semnan Province’s public libraries, also highlighted the role of libraries in promoting a culture of reading and connecting research publications with the wider public. He praised the authors for documenting an important part of the province’s scientific and social history and stressed the need to support writers and valuable cultural works.
Published in Semnan by Abrokh Publications, The History of Medicine and Physicians in Semnan was written by Mohammad (Amir) Azizoddin and Hamidreza Nazari (Hekmat), with an introduction by Shahrokh Mousavi and editing by Majid Kasaei.
The 359-page illustrated volume includes photographs and tables and is the fifth instalment in the Contemporary History of Semnan Province series.