Unani Tibb: History, Theory, and Contemporary Practice in South Asia

Abstract

This article is a collaboration between an expert practitioner and researcher of Unani Tibb and a social scientist. A hakim (physician), versed in the thinking and language of biomedicine, describes a traditional system of medicine to nonspecialists. Relevant sociological, historical, and organizational aspects of Unani Tibb are presented. Expanding interest in Asian medical systems has made Ional practitioners' leading seminars and writing books on their medical systems for American and European audiences commonplace. This article describes how one South Asian medical system works. There is an emerging phenomenon of traditional medical systems' opening themselves to seekers of alternative health care; in a recent initiative, the government of India (GOI) encouraged medical tourism for Indian systems of medicine. Future research will need to analyze the outcomes of these types of interactions, the most recent for a medical system with a long history of interaction with many medical and social traditions.