How did the Code of Hammurabi regulate medical practice in ancient Babylonia?

The Code of Hammurabi regulated medical practice in ancient Babylonia by establishing strict legal accountability for physicians, with penalties often determined by the social status of the patient.1

These laws imposed severe consequences for medical failure, particularly in surgery. For instance, if a doctor caused a patient's death while performing an operation such as opening an abscess, the physician faced the amputation of their hands. However, the code also accounted for social hierarchy: if the patient who died was a slave, the physician was not subjected to physical mutilation but was instead required to replace the slave.1

While these laws provided a framework for professional liability, they existed alongside a culture where divination played a significant role in diagnosing and predicting the course of diseases. The code serves as one of the few surviving records of medical regulation from this era, as little other documentation regarding individual Babylonian physicians or their specific practices has been preserved.1