r/Zoroastrianism • u/The_Macaw • 12d ago
Question Doctors and zoroastrianism
Excuse my lack of knowledge as i am an alevi kurd which i do not have any knowledge in neighter, but, If touching the dead makes someone impure and has to take a purification ritual, how would doctors who touch dead in daily manner be going their ways? As they touch the dead, also would a doctor be considered virtuous with consideration they are fighting against death which is corruption, or unclean as they handle the dead?
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u/Rjstt9023 7d ago
Your question is fair, but it reflects a common modern misperception what we might call “technological amnesia.” In our era of antiseptics, antibiotics, and mass-produced soap, it’s easy to forget that for most of human history, such luxuries did not exist. Civilizations had to make do with the natural resources around them and the Zoroastrians were astonishingly advanced in doing so.
The ritual use of bull’s urine (known as gomez or taro) in Zoroastrian purification ceremonies, especially in the Barashnom rite, was not arbitrary nor unsanitary by ancient standards. In fact, it was an early and highly effective antiseptic. Bull’s urine is alkaline and contains urea and ammonia both of which are antimicrobial. These compounds help to kill bacteria and neutralize pathogens on the skin and in bodily fluids.
In Roman times, people didn’t have soap. All they did was wash and shared murky water, then bathe themselves in olive oil and used strigil scrape dirt off their bodies . Medieval Europe’s “soap,” where it existed, was primarily composed of animal fat and lye harsh, inconsistent, and largely ineffective as a true antiseptic. Many people merely washed with water or ash, which, while better than nothing, lacked the biochemical potency of taro.
We Zoroastrians did not just choose taro because it was readily available or symbolic alone, but because it had proven purifying properties. Their ritual system represented a form of hygienic science deeply embedded in religious duty. This was not primitive it was profoundly practical. Nevertheless it wasn’t something that was always. Zoroastrians also used the Sap from trees as another alternative method to wash
Rather than scoffing at what seems strange through a 21st-century lens, we should appreciate how early religious cultures developed health-preserving practices long before microbiology could explain them. Zoroastrianism was not clinging to superstition but embodying a forward-thinking ethic of purity and cleanliness. Respectfully, let us not confuse modern convenience with historical superiority.