Ślady ajurwedy w dziewiętnastowiecznej medycynie polskiej: kazus szpitali cholerycznych w Warszawie i Poznaniu w latach 1831 i 1866

Abstract

Elements of Ayurveda in nineteenthcentury Polish medicine: the case of cholera hospitals in Warsaw and Poznań in 1831 and 1866 The article contributed to the history of translational medicine and presents the transfer of elements of the Ayurvedic treatment of cholera to the medical practice in Poland in the 19th century, carried out through Western European doctors. Special attention is paid to the role played in this process by foreign physicians and surgeons working in Warsaw hospitals during the November Uprising. Their education, medical experience and competence as regards cholera treatment were described, as well as the scientific research they carried out in Warsaw and their preferences for cholera treatment. It was demonstrated that the Hindu treatment regimen was accepted by colonial doctors and after some modifications disseminated in Europe. To assess the persistence of the treatment in Poland, the medications used in 1831 in Warsaw hospitals were compared with those administered to patients in the Poznan lazarette in 1866. The article is based on foreign doctors reports on the fight against cholera in 1831 in the Kingdom of Poland, as well as a unique report on the treatment of cholera at the Sisters of Charity Hospital in Poznan in 1866.