• Anatomy of the Uterus from the Point of View of Iranian Medicine and Its Comparative Analysis with Modern Medicine
  • Shabnam Mohammadi,1,* Zahra Nikakhtar,2
    1. Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
    2. Department of Persian Medicine, Faculty of Persian and Complementary Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran


  • Introduction: Introduction: Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology helps a lot in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Investigation the ancient medical texts shows that the physician had an accurate and sharp view of the different body systems, and this increases the need to use traditional medicine texts. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the anatomical issues of the uterus from the ancient traditional medicine and compare it with the findings of modern medical anatomy.
  • Methods: Method: This is a descriptive review study that investigated reference texts such as Ibn Sina's Canon, Tashrih-e-mansoori, Khawarizm shahi's collection and Abdolvahab Tafreshi's book. Then a comparison of the contents with the book of anatomy was made and the similarity and differences of the contents were examined.
  • Results: Results: The results of this research showed that the physician of ancient Iranian medicine were familiar with the various parts of the internal reproductive system, including the uterus (Zehdan), fallopian tubes (Oieh e Rahemi), cervix (Fam e Rahem), isthmus (Tangeh Kipo), and vagina (Onog e Rahem). The descriptions of the anatomy of the female internal reproductive system include the appearance, structure, anatomical adjacencies and uterine ligaments that appear in the form of pictures and drawings in books. The blue-red uterus is represented as an inverted male penis. Three layers of the uterus, serous, muscular and lining, have been introduced. Adjacents of the uterus, bladder, rectum and intestine are mentioned. Spindle-shaped neck introduced with a circular collar in the middle of the uterus. Cylindrical and 3-layered vagina that protrudes forward and is covered by hymen in girls. Main ligaments of the uterus are broad peritoneal ligament, round ligament and cardinal ligament.
  • Conclusion: Conclusion: The descriptions mentioned about the uterus and the internal reproductive parts of the female sex are very consistent with the modern facts of anatomy and are explained in detail with pictures in the ancient medical books.
  • Keywords: Anatomy, traditional medicine, uterus, modern medicine