Persien. Das Land und seine Bewohner. Ethnographische Schilderungen. 2 vols.

In this wide-ranging ethnographic study Polak provided the most authoritative account of his introduction of western medicine into Iran as well as the state of medicine in Iran generally. "Polak (1865, II, pp. 192-348) devoted five chapters to exclusively medical topics. He describes the various health care professionals, their income, status and methods of treatment, as well as narcotics, poisons, and antidotes. He provides an encyclopedic list of common diseases, followed by a practical section on travel advice for foreigners, even including psychological problems of acculturation (Polak, 1865, II, pp. 349-60). Although he is not completely free from Orientalist misconceptions and remains strongly convinced of the overall superiority of the West, his detailed observations are extremely valuable. His medical practice allowed him to gain unique insights into Qajar society. For example, Polak (1865, I, p. 204) soberly notes the occurrence of a perineal tear in girls as resulting from marriage before puberty—nowadays this is considered child rape" (Encyclopedia Iranica). Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.