Modernization in the Field of Medicine and Health in Pre-Constitutional Iran: A Case Study of the Ganjineh-e-Fonoon Journal

At the beginning of the Qajar era, Iran’s relationship with the West created the ground for political, social and cultural developments. One of the most important advantages was that Iran’s relations with the West led to the introduction of new ideas and approaches in the field of medicine and health in Iran. At that time, the low-quality healthcare and medical services provided in Iran, compared with the development in Western medical sciences attracted the attention of some Qajar periodicals and journals. One of these journals was Ganjineh-e-Fonoon, which devoted itself mostly to publishing articles on the progress made in medical and health issues. This periodical was first published before the Constitution Movement in Tabriz. An examination of the articles published in Ganjineh-e-Fonoon showed that while most articles welcomed modern medicine, they challenged the credibility of traditional medicine. Regarding this, it can be claimed that this journal, as one of the influential periodicals of the day, played an important role in informing and helping people in their transition from relying on traditional medicine to modern medicine. The present study is a library research which has employed a descriptive approach in the analysis of the data collected.