The Fascinating Chronicle of Uroscopy: From the Era of Qarurah and Matula to the Microscope

The objective of the present study is to elucidate the evolution of thoughts on urine inspection from antiquity to the present day. The classical Unani literature like Liber Regius, Canon of Medicine, Liber continens, Treasure of Khwarazamshah, etc. and the ancient literature of other traditional medicines like Ayurveda were prime sources of data. Additional sources were translations and summaries of the said classical books and scholarly articles written on the topic of urine. For recent advancements in uroscopy, browsing PubMed, Google Scholar, data science, and other trusted websites was carried out. Plentiful resources were frequently looked up and aided in the selection of topics for discussion in this review. With this intent, bibliographic research on the various classical literature was thoroughly sought out. In this regard, the classical literature of various traditional medicines was of immense help. Moreover, browsing trusted websites was carried out by searching for complementary and alternative medicine for uroscopy and urinalysis. Uroscopy has a long, colourful, and interesting history. The earliest evidence of urine inspection can be found in Babylonian, Sumerian, and Ayurvedic writings. Correspondingly, uroscopy has been practised for over 6,000 years. However, with the invention of the microscope, urinalysis became a valuable diagnostic tool in clinical practices. So essentially, urine represents a mirror image of the body’s states, such as health and disease. Besides, Urinalysis has been evolving from antiquity to the present day, from time to time.