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Bubu'tu and Birdu Lesions in Akkadian Texts
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011
Extract
It has always been difficult to make a diagnosis in retrospect from the sparse facts that are provided in the written records from antiquity, especially those from ancient Mesopotamia. To add to our troubles, the semantic range of meaning of individual words may permit diverse interpretations in any given sentence, and the context in which they occur then becomes important. Only too often the text may be damaged or incomplete; very rarely does a scribe give full medical details about diagnosis, although it is common to find detailed instructions concerning therapy. One of the reasons for this deficiency is that the Babylonian scribes tended to state first the problem and then the solution in their scientific texts, the intermediate steps being reached by a process apparently well known to themselves (but not to us), or by oral transmission.
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1 H. Holma (Kl. Beitr., 1911, 3 n. 4) thought that bubu’tu might mean “slime” or “filth”. R. Labat in TDP translates it as “bouton”. CAD uses “inflammation, boil or pustule”. W. von Soden, AHwb, suggests the words “Eiter, Eiterbläschen oder Eitergeschwür”.
2 Both texts are somewhat damaged but may be partially restored from other texts.
AMT, 61.1.6. [Birku-šu U.B]Ú.BÚ.UL siq-te mali IM.SAHAR.TAK.KUR.RA uẖulu qarnanu tazak ina šamni [tapašaš] … “[His penis] is full of minute bubu’tu, you shall bray alum and hornedalkali plant and [anoint] in oil … ”
AMT, 61.1.10. [U.B]Ú.BÚ.UL ṣehrūti (pl.) mali IM.SAHAR.TAK.KUR.RA uẖulu [qarnanu.] … “[His penis] is full of small bubu’tu …”
3 In CT 37.27.III.19, we have the equation i-pi-tum: : bu-bu-u'-tum. Ipitum (some thick material, or cloudiness of the eyes) is descriptive of the eyes, and is equivalent to the bubu'tu lesion. This form of bubu’tu could also be considered as a vesicular lesion, but it should be noted that conjunctival oedema would fit this description exactly.
4 Translations are of TDP, 74.47–9.
47. šumma pānū(pl.)-šú bubu’ta sâmta malû(pl.) qāt (d)Sìn iballuṭ.
48. šumna pānū(pl.)-šú bubu’ta piṣīta malû(pl.) qāt (d)Šamaš iballuṭ.
49. šumma pānū(pl.)-šú bubu’ta ṣalimta malû(pl.) qāt (d)Ištar imāt.
5 He discusses briefly the UD.A lesions in TDP, 56, n. 102. It is doubtful whether we can accept his suggestion, for the following reasons. The UD.A lesion has a wider variety of colour change than has the bubu’tu lesion (see TDP, 74.43–6). It is a lesion which is limited to the nose, face, and tongue only. In medical texts the bubu’tu lesion was clearly separated from the UD.A lesion by the scribes and doctors.
Of the other forms of skin lesions mentioned in the texts, we may note that the birdu lesion of the face follows the bubu’tu group (TDP, 74.47–9; 76.50) and in turn is followed by the ziqtu lesion (TDP, 76.51) and then by the rešūtu and the išītu/ešītu lesions (TDP, 76.52). The pindû and šišitu forms of disease also appear to be infective lesions on the external parts of the body (AMT, 84.4.III.rev.9; TDP, 74.29). There seems to be a clear differentiation between the bubu’tu and these other forms of skin lesions.
6 The actual references to birdu lesions are:
TDP, 48.DII.5. šumma ēnā(II)-šu ibakka(a) bir-du … “If his eyes weep, birdu-lesions …” (broken line).
TDP, 76.50. šumma pān(pl.)-šu bir-di malû(pl.) … “If his face is full of birdu-lesions …”
KAR, 195.obv.291. šumma sinnistu tullid-ma zumur-šá bir-di mali… “If a woman has given birth and her body is full of birdu-lesions …”
CT, 38.4.73. šumma ina āli bi-ir-du(pl) KIMIN (i.e. ma’du) BIR … “If in the city there are many people with birdu-lesions: dispersal.”
7 Birdu has been tentatively translated by W. von Soden, AHwb, as “Pickel”. CAD gives “pockmark or pock-marked person”. R. Labat, TDP, 76, n. 138, on the basis of KAR, 195, suggests that birdu lesions may be the striae distensae which are often (but not invariably) associated with pregnancy.