Medical Education in Ancient Persia.

Introduction: Historically, education is the prominent part of medical systems of different cultures. It has been surveyed in some cultures. In this study, we tried to uncover educational practices applied and present a sketch of medical education in ancient Persia (from beginning to 637 AD) based on the available evidence. Methods: In this study, old Persian scripts and other written documents like Avesta, Dinkerd, histories of Herodotus and Cyropedia and also recent literature were studied tocome up with a sketch of medical education in ancient Persia. Results: The pattern of medical education in ancient Persia was presented based on (a) handwriting- a principle for education, (b) public education in ancient Persia, (c) schools of medicine in Persia, (d) organizations and medical centers; and (e) medical fields. Conclusion: The importance of knowledge and education among ancient Persians can be observed even in their early childhood education.This attention to education ,and especially to medical education, has been an important key feature of Persian culture and its dynamic civilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]