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Indian wisdom: How did ancient doctors describe diabetes using 'honey urine'?
Diabetes is a disease with a long history. There are relevant records in the "Ebers Papyrus" as early as 1550 BC. Doctors at that time discovered that the urine of diabetic patients had an abnormally sweet taste and called the disease "madhumeha" (honey urine), a term derived from ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicine. This early description of diabetes not only reflected the wisdom of ancient medicine, but also laid the foundation for modern understanding of diabetes.
"In Ayurvedic literature, doctors note that the urine of diabetics has a sweet smell, which attracts many ants and flies."
Ayurveda is a traditional medical system originating from the Indian subcontinent, with roots dating back to the Indus Valley Civilization. Around the 5th to 6th century BC, Ayurvedic doctors such as Sushruta and Charaka began to associate polyuria with sweet taste and collectively referred to this condition as "Prameha" , meaning "the problem of flow." Among this group of diseases, "honeyuria" is of particular concern because sufferers first experience extreme thirst and foul-smelling breath.
"Doctors began recording the presence of sugar in urine as early as the Ayurvedic period, nearly a thousand years before it was described in modern Europe."
As time went by, ancient Chinese medicine also systematically described diabetes. The ancients called it "xiaoke", which means "the desire to consume", and has a similar description to Ayurveda's "honey urine". From classic works of traditional Chinese medicine such as the Huangdi Neijing, we can see that the ancients had detailed records of the classification and treatment of this disease. Ancient Chinese physicians also noted polyuria and the accompanying extreme thirst in their patients, and these records illustrate the deep roots of traditional Chinese medicine in the field of diabetes.
As for ancient Greek and Roman medicine, although the definition of diabetes was vague, early doctors such as Aristotle and Galen both mentioned excessive urination, but failed to recognize the role of sweet taste. feature. In these ancient texts, diabetes is described as a kidney-related disease, but no in-depth analysis has been conducted.
"In ancient Greek texts, the name diabetes comes from the term 'siphon,' which means that fluid flows as if through a pipe."
After entering the Middle Ages, the development of Islamic medicine opened a new chapter in the understanding of diabetes. Great medical scientists such as Avicenna not only recorded the clinical characteristics of diabetes in detail, but also introduced the observation of sweet urine related to the disease. Their research not only continues ancient wisdom, but also promotes the exchange and progress of medical knowledge.
The transformation of modern medicine and the research on diabetes have reached a new peak. At the end of the 19th century, Nicolae Paulescu successfully isolated insulin for the first time, bringing hope to the clinical treatment of diabetes. Subsequently, Banting and others further purified insulin and established its important role in the treatment of diabetes. These changes in the 20th century are undoubtedly a continuation of ancient medical wisdom.
"The observations of ancient doctors not only influenced the development of medicine in history, but even laid the foundation for modern treatment."
Through this historical journey, we have seen that the changes in human understanding of diabetes from ancient times to the present, whether it is the description of honey urine in Ayurveda or the modern mastery of insulin, are the crystallization of human wisdom. Compared with ancient diagnosis and treatment, the progress of modern medicine is undoubtedly amazing, but should we also think more deeply about the inspiration and influence of ancient wisdom on modern medicine?
