an introductory on medical ethics history in different era in iran

medical ethics has a long history worldwide, and the move towards a transcultural ethics must be based on an appreciation of the history that has produced the present relationships. it is often thought that medical ethics history has begun at the time of hippocrates, however it is much older. it is clear that various cultures such as babylonia, ancient egypt, greece, and the persians have attempted to regulate medicine and to protect patients' rights in the known ancient world. one of the earliest written provisions in this field that comes back to about 1750 bc is the code of hammurabi. in medieval, great iranian physicians had paid special attention to ethics in their practices, teachings and manuscripts. in this paper we aimed to explore the roots of medical ethics in persian history, particularly after adherence of iranians to islam. history of medicine in iran has begun at about fourth century bc. there was a gap between the ancient civilizations and the renaissance era in europe, commonly called the dark ages. the immense strides have been made by the persians in that long interval which is briefly reviewed.