The Landscape of Research in the History of Medicine in Iranian Humanities Journals (2001–2021): A Quantitative Approach

Abstract

The study of scientific output in the humanities plays a crucial role in the scientific and cultural development of society. The main objective of this study was to provide a quantitative assessment of articles on the history of medicine published in Iranian humanities journals during the period 2001-2021. This applied study was conducted using a descriptive research design and employed quantitative content analysis as its methodological approach. Based on the findings, 40 journals and 256 articles addressing various topics related to the history of medicine were identified and analyzed. The findings indicated a quantitative increasing trend in the production of scientific output in the field of medical history over the past two decades. The most prevalent thematic areas were “health, hygiene, and nutrition” and “medical concepts, types of diseases, and treatment methods”. History of Science was the most prolific journal in this field. The majority of articles were published in Persian and focused primarily on the Islamic and Qajar periods. The results further revealed that comparatively less scholarly attention has been devoted to topics such as medicine in travelogues, medical ethics, women’s medicine, and veterinary medicine, as well as to the historical periods of the Buyid, Seljuk, Zand, Afsharid, and the contemporary era of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. Overall, this study demonstrated that scientific output in the history of medicine in Iran has developed an evolving indigenous pattern characterized by a strong emphasis on the Islamic and Qajar periods and on health-related themes. However, greater attention to underexplored historical periods and the adoption of interdisciplinary approaches appear to be necessary