Heessel N P
Department of Assyriology, Heidelberg University.
Stud Anc Med. 2004;27:97-116.
By analysing the structure and logic of the Diagnostic Handbook, the Babylonian understanding of medical diagnosis is investigated. Through a comparison of the systematic patterns of divinatory and diagnostic interpretation, it is demonstrated that the logic of medical diagnosis differs substantially from that of divination. While it is argued that this cannot be taken as hard evidence for the empirical character of Babylonian diagnosis, other elements within the Diagnostic Handbook, which can be considered to be 'rational' from a modern point of view, will be discussed in order to assess whether Babylonian diagnosis may indeed be called 'scientific'.
通过分析《诊断手册》的结构和逻辑，探究巴比伦人对医学诊断的理解。通过比较占卜和诊断解释的系统模式，证明医学诊断的逻辑与占卜的逻辑有很大不同。虽然有人认为这不能作为巴比伦诊断具有经验特征的确凿证据，但将讨论《诊断手册》中从现代观点来看可被视为“理性”的其他要素，以便评估巴比伦诊断是否真的可以被称为“科学”。
