Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-xfwgj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-15T19:38:47.007Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Medicine and Anthropology: the ‘Ambassador-Physician’ Jacob Eduard Polak (1818–1891) as a Mediator of Modernity in Iran

from Social and Cultural Studies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 January 2018

Afsaneh Gächter
Affiliation:
Vienna University of Medicine
Anna Krasnowolska
Affiliation:
Jagiellonian University, Krakow
Renata Rusek-Kowalska
Affiliation:
Jagiellonian University, Krakow
Get access

Summary

SUMMARY

In the 19th century, the transfer of knowledge and culture between Europe and Islamic polities had far-reaching effects on both sides. Yet in this process, the field of medical sciences has not received the attention it deserves, particularly when looking into the relations between the largest European states, the Habsburg Empire and Western Asia states. This article discusses the case of the Austrian physician J.E. Polak (1818–1891) who pioneered the introduction of Western medical sciences in Iran. In 1851 he established the first modern medical school at Dār'ol-Fonun and worked as a teacher of medicine and surgery. In 1855 Polak became the personal physician of the Iranian king Nāser al-Dīn Shāh Qājār and, travelling widely in Iran, he transmitted detailed accounts of the land and the people to Europe, based on the emerging modern concepts of science. His legacy is felt in the modern history of medicine in Iran to this day, and his wealth of numerous writings about Iran contributed to the tightening of Austro-Iranian relations throughout the century. The article demonstrates how to analyze Polak's varied medical and ethnological accomplishments and his influence in the development of modern medicine in Iran, within the theoretical frame of the transfer of knowledge.

Austria's direct contact with the Islamic world dates back to the early modern period. A multifaceted political, economic and cultural exchange continued to develop during the following centuries. In the nineteenth century, these contacts intensified as Austria became the administrator of former Ottoman Bosnia-Herzegovina (after 1878) and now had to govern Muslim citizens within its multiethnic ‘Vielvölkerstaat’, in which Islam later became an officially recognized religion. A regular transfer of knowledge and culture between the Austrian Empire and Islamic polities had far reaching effects, especially in the field of medicine. Austrian physicians pioneered the introduction of modern medicine in the Ottoman Empire, Egypt and Iran. Some of these ‘ambassador physicians’ were astute observers of land and people, and during many years of residence transmitted detailed accounts of ‘Diseases of the Orient’ as well as natural and cultural knowledge about their host countries to Europe. Despite the logistical difficulties of travel and mail at the time, there was a lively exchange of information. In Austria, this transfer of knowledge made substantial contributions to the field of Oriental Studies.

Type
Chapter
Information
Studies on the Iranian World
Medieval and Modern
, pp. 329 - 340
Publisher: Jagiellonian University Press
Print publication year: 2015

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×