The Views of Different Groups on the Treatment of Plague and Cholera in the Safavid Period: An Analysis Based on Historical Texts

In the history of Iran, the prevalence of infectious diseases has always been one of the main causes of population reduction. These diseases have inflicted serious damages on the economy and society throughout history. Although there is little information about these diseases in the pre-Islamic period in historical texts, there are many detailed reports on the prevalence of infectious diseases, especially plague and cholera, and their mortality rate in the historical texts of the Islamic period; These reports provide valuable information for researchers who focus on this field. In the Safavid period, despite some advancements in general healthcare, and although the central government had established hospitals and healthcare centers, infectious diseases continued to be prevalent and caused huge mortalities; so much so that professional books on infectious diseases and especially on cholera were written in this period. This article seeks to make a historical study on the prevalence of infectious diseases in the Safavid period of Iran to examine the views of religious scholars, historians, physicians and travel book writers on the disease and the cause of its spread, as well as the therapies provided by Iranian and traditional physicians in the treatment of these diseases. Upon examining the historical texts of the Safavid period, it is clear that although most people, historians and clerics of this period thought that divine retribution is the main cause of these diseases, the doctors and a small number of historians believed natural factors such as polluted water and unfavorable weather were the main causes of infectious diseases. Therefore, it can be said that the epistemology and worldview of different social classes has played an important role in their beliefs on the treatment of infectious and contagious diseases.