Zahra Aghabeiglooei
1,2 
, Jamal Rezaei Orimi
3,4 , Somaiyeh Marghoub Khajeh
5 , Morteza Mojahedi
6,7, Farzaneh Ghaffari
8,9* 1 Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Research Center, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Traditional Medicine, School of Persian Medicine, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
3 Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Management Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
4 Department of Persian Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
5 Department of History of Medicine, Faculty of Traditional Medicine, Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
6 Traditional Medicine and History of Medical Sciences Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
7 Mizaj Health Research Institute (MHRI), Tehran, Iran
8 Medical Ethics and Law Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
9 School of Traditional Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Infectious diseases were one of the most important public health problems in Ardabil during the first Pahlavi period (1925-1941 AD). These diseases caused the illness and death of many people. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors and consequences of the spread of infectious diseases in Ardabil during the first Pahlavi period. The research method is descriptive and historical-retrospective, which tries to answer the research questions using documentary and library sources. The findings show that malaria, trachoma, smallpox, tuberculosis, rinderpest, venereal diseases, and diphtheria were among the most common infectious diseases. Poverty, illiteracy, poor public health, lack of medical facilities, and the geographical location were the main factors in the spread of these diseases. Considering the critical nature of the issue, the first Pahlavi government tried to control and prevent diseases by carrying out measures such as public education, establishing health and treatment centers and reforming their structure, sending doctors and distributing medicine, and implementing quarantine and vaccination. The results showed that the efforts of the first Pahlavi government in fighting infectious diseases in Ardabil were relatively successful and reduced the prevalence of some diseases.