The “Manas” epic, which is the most important heritage of Kyrgyz oral literature, contains very rich and important information about the history of the Kyrgyz people, their social structure, world view, understanding of life, beliefs, traditions and many other cultural values. In the scientific research carried out on the epic so far, this information has been discussed from various aspects, and important results have been obtained that shed light not only on the Kyrgyz people, but also on the past of the Turkic and Mongolian people in general, and the history of their culture and language. One of the interesting issues that attracts the attention of researchers is the folk medicine tradition in the epic. Of course, like other societies in the world, Kyrgyz people have used traditional treatment methods, knowledge and experience, geographical conditions and available facilities of the regions they live in, in the treatment of diseases seen in all living beings until the development of modern medicine. This situation is reflected in the epic in great detail. Apiyim, apı, ebep, kırma kızıl darı, meer çöp, mumiya, sebep, uulcan, üpü etc., which the Kyrgyz people obtain especially from various plants, minerals, and the organs of domestic and wild animals. The names of the oldest medicines such as are frequently mentioned in the “Manas” epic and shed light on the historical development process of Kyrgyz folk medicine terminology. In addition to various treatment materials, the names of some tools and equipment used during the treatment of the patient were also found in the epic. It is understood that a significant part of these tools and equipment are surgical tools and equipment used in the treatment of various diseases resulting from injuries on the battlefields and developed according to the possibilities of the age. It seems that the names of these tools and equipment mentioned in the epic have not yet been discussed in detail from a linguistic perspective. In our paper, in order to contribute to eliminating this deficiency, the names of surgical tools and equipment mentioned in the epic such as tintüür, aştar, şimşüür, şak-şak will be discussed, and the origins and usage patterns of these words will be examined in detail by diachronic and simultaneous research methods. I believe that such a study will contribute to solving the problems related to the etymology of the Turkic language and to illuminating the historical development process of general Turkic folk medicine terms.
Manas epic, Kyrgyz folk medicine, names of surgical tools and equipment.