Medical Discourses in the Naseri Era: The Political Institution’s Approach to the Cholera Epidemic; Examination of Four Manuscripts

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of Mazandaran, Iran

2 Graduate in History and researcher at the National Library and Archives Organization, Tehran, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of History, Shahid Bahonar University, Kerman, Iran

10.30476/rhm.2025.105242.1268

Abstract

Employing Michel Foucault’s conceptual framework of governmentality and comparing four different manuscripts, this study seeks to demonstrate how the Qajar state established, reconstructed, and reproduced medical knowledge during this period through various strategies and discursive practices.1 Instrumental and structural rationality necessitated the simultaneous application of modern medicine, due to its efficiency and efficacy, alongside traditional medicine, to retain and align those faithful to Iranian and Islamic teachings.
Contrary to the common perception that medical modernization solely involved adopting modern medicine while limiting traditional practices, the Qajar state’s strategy—particularly during the Naseri era—was to utilize the advantages of both medical systems concurrently to address the calamity and the ensuing social and economic damage.
The innovation of the present study lies in illustrating how state techniques sought to sustain and reconstruct their existence. Previous research has suggested that the emergence of an exceptional situation caused by the cholera epidemic and other diseases not only resulted in the manifestation of the state in its modern form and meaning but also led to increased state intervention. However, the state’s involvement was not limited to the adoption of new tools in health matters; it also perpetuated and maintained traditional methods due to their functionality and acceptance among believers in such practices.

Highlights

Ali Mesgar (Google Scholar)

Keywords

References

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Journal of Research on History of Medicine
Volume 15, Issue 1
February 2026
Pages 51-70

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