Egyptian Ancient Medicine.
In about 3000 BC the curtain rises on Egyptian civilisation. In a civilised society some people did specialised jobs. One of these was the doctor. Medicine in Egypt was inevitably mixed with magic. There was not sharp lie between medicine and religion. Disease was often believed to have been sent by the Gods as a punishment, or by evil spirits in the body which had to be evicted in various ways. There were many rituals, spells and charms of all and every kind mixed up with extremely practical medicine.
The first doctor known to history was Sekhet-eanach who 'healed the pharaoh's nostrils'. (We do not know what was wrong with them). The second doctor we know of was Imhotep (c. 2,600 BC) who was vizier or prime minister to the pharaoh. He was also a doctor and he was so famous that after his death he was worshipped as a god.
Much of Egyptian medicine still relied on magic. However at least they could keep written records of which treatments worked and which did not. In this way medicine could advance. The earliest known medical book is the Ebers Papyrus, which was written about 1500 BC. Egyptian doctors used a huge range of drugs obtained from herbs and minerals. They were drunk with wine or beer or sometimes mixed with dough to form a 'pill'. Egyptian doctors also used ointments for wounds and they treated chest complaints by getting the patient to inhale steam.
The Egyptians believed that the human body was full of passages that acted like irrigation canals. They carried blood, urine and faeces, tears and semen. The Egyptians knew that irrigation canals sometimes became blocked. They reasoned that if the passages in a human body became blocked it might cause illness. To open them Egyptians used laxatives and induced vomiting. However the Egyptians still believed that spells would help the sick and they carried amulets to ward off disease. Nevertheless they were beginning to seek a physical cause for illness.
The Egyptians did have some knowledge of anatomy from making mummies. To embalm a dead body they first removed the principal organs, which would otherwise rot. However Egyptian surgery was limited to such things as treating wounds and broken bones and dealing with boils and abscesses. The Egyptians used clamps, sutures and cauterisation. They had surgical instruments like probes, saws, forceps, scalpels and scissors.
They also knew that honey helped to prevent wounds becoming infected. (It is a natural antiseptic). They also dressed wounds with willow bark, which has the same effect.
Moreover the Egyptians were clean people. They washed daily and changed their clothes regularly, which must have helped their health.
The first doctor known to history was Sekhet-eanach who 'healed the pharaoh's nostrils'. (We do not know what was wrong with them). The second doctor we know of was Imhotep (c. 2,600 BC) who was vizier or prime minister to the pharaoh. He was also a doctor and he was so famous that after his death he was worshipped as a god.
Much of Egyptian medicine still relied on magic. However at least they could keep written records of which treatments worked and which did not. In this way medicine could advance. The earliest known medical book is the Ebers Papyrus, which was written about 1500 BC. Egyptian doctors used a huge range of drugs obtained from herbs and minerals. They were drunk with wine or beer or sometimes mixed with dough to form a 'pill'. Egyptian doctors also used ointments for wounds and they treated chest complaints by getting the patient to inhale steam.
The Egyptians believed that the human body was full of passages that acted like irrigation canals. They carried blood, urine and faeces, tears and semen. The Egyptians knew that irrigation canals sometimes became blocked. They reasoned that if the passages in a human body became blocked it might cause illness. To open them Egyptians used laxatives and induced vomiting. However the Egyptians still believed that spells would help the sick and they carried amulets to ward off disease. Nevertheless they were beginning to seek a physical cause for illness.
The Egyptians did have some knowledge of anatomy from making mummies. To embalm a dead body they first removed the principal organs, which would otherwise rot. However Egyptian surgery was limited to such things as treating wounds and broken bones and dealing with boils and abscesses. The Egyptians used clamps, sutures and cauterisation. They had surgical instruments like probes, saws, forceps, scalpels and scissors.
They also knew that honey helped to prevent wounds becoming infected. (It is a natural antiseptic). They also dressed wounds with willow bark, which has the same effect.
Moreover the Egyptians were clean people. They washed daily and changed their clothes regularly, which must have helped their health.