Глазные недуги в традиционных представлениях тюрко-монгольских народов Внутренней Азии в XIX – начале XX века: природа заболеваний, профилактика и лечение

Abstract

Purpose. In the traditional picture of the world of the Turk-Mongolian peoples of Siberia, an important place is occupied by ideas about the structure of the human body and its organs. Interest in this topic is justified by the poor previous study of the information that the Turk-Mongols of Siberia had about the structure and functioning of the human body. This article sets the task of studying the perception and understanding of the meaning and functions of human organs through eye diseases. Results. Folk medical knowledge, which was accumulated over centuries by the Turk-Mongolian peoples, is a valuable source that can reveal how representatives of the nomadic culture perceived and understood the structure and functions of the human body. The study of eye diseases, interpretations of the nature of the diseases, and ways of treating them allow us to conclude that the most common diseases of the Turk-Mongolian peoples were cataract, trachoma, and conjunctivitis. A number of diseases, such as conjunctivitis, glaucoma and cataract, are connected with heavenly bodies – the stars and the moon, which led to the specificity of “medical” drugs and therapeutic techniques used. In particular, this is the use of nacre, the external data of which caused associations with the moon. A gradual replacement of expensive “medical” mixtures with more affordable ones, such as sugar, is specified. Conclusion. In traditional views, human eyes are represented as a source of light. With the extinction of the light source, vision is lost. There is a connection between the ability of a person to see and heavenly night lights. It also manifests itself through the prism of “medical” means and therapeutic techniques used in the treatment of eye diseases. Cataract is a characteristic disease of the population of Central and Inner Asia, the areas which are exposed to intense solar radiation. Trachoma is a disease of an infectious nature in the absence of hygiene, and it rapidly spread among the indigenous peoples of Siberia. There is little evidence of myopia and glaucoma. The notions of myopia known in the Turk-Mongolian are associated with poor eyesight in domestic animals – horses and cattle, and therefore prohibitions to eat these animals’ eyes for food were common.