When a man fell sick in his house, sooner or later a messenger was sent to ”fetch the doctor” from the temple. The Asu or doctor, no doubt questioned the messenger fully, and when he had learned from him details concerning the sick man, he took his medical box and stocked it with the drugs, and perhaps instruments, such as a knife and a tube, which he thought would be required by him. Then with his staff or rod of office in his hand, and his box, he set out to go to the house of the sick man. But he did not go alone. He took with him a priestly official, whose title was ‘Ashipu’ and who was learned in exorcisms, spells and incantations, and another official who was known as the ‘Baru’ or Seer. This last was skilled in the knowledge of omens.

As the three men made their way to the house of the sick man, the Baru watched every person, animal or thing which they met, and proceeded to deduce omens from what he saw. He told the Ashipu what the omens portended, and this man began to recite the incantations which he thought would avert evil from the sick man. When the trio reached the house and went into the room of the sick man, the Asu examined him carefully and made his diagnosis, and meanwhile the Baru continued to deduce omens from the state of the various members of the patient’s body, whether his head was hot, or cold, or moist, whether there was foam on his lips, whether he was lying on his right or left side, or on his back, etc. As he told the Ashipu what such things portended, this official recited the incantations that were suitable.

Meanwhile the Asu had decided what medicines were to be used, and when he had made them ready and began to administer them, the Ashipu continued to recite the incantations which were to drive out of the patient’s body the devils or evil spirits that were the causes of his sickness. Thus medicine and magic went hand in hand, but any good effect which the medicines might produce was ascribved to the magical power of the incantations, and to the wisdom of the Baru, who had read the omens rightly. In cases of prolonged illness the patient was removed to the temple, where a special chamber called the Kummu was provided for the reception of the sick, but the realtives of a patient were held to be responsible for his maintenance.

Here in the Kummu chamber magical rites and ceremonies for the benefit of the sick were carried out in great detail. Magical signs and symbols and names were written on the walls, and series of prophylactic figures were employed to protect both the patient and the chamber from the attacks of devils. These figures were placed in boxes of burnt brick underneath the pavement, and the boxes were lined up against the walls, the open side of each box facing towards the centre of the chamber, the figures then being on guard, as it were, over the living space. The figures were all of unbaked clay. Some of them had human bodies with birds’ heads and wings, some of them were of males, and if nude were generally ithyphallic, or wholly obscene, and cat-headed figures, and figures of snakes, dragons, etc., were also found at Ur. Incantations were recited over these figures, magical names were written on their hips, and a certain group of seven of them represented the seven Apkallu, or sages who lived before the Flood, and were the first to teach men incantations against sickness.

Source: Divine Origin of the Craft of the Herbalist by E. A. Wallis Budge.