Ancient Egyptian medical practises were so advanced that many of their procedures and observations were not eclipsed by western medicine for centuries following the fall of Rome. Both the ancient Greeks and Roman borrowed extensively from Egyptian medical expertise. Doctors in ancient Egypt were both male and female, made house calls, understood the importance of cleanliness in treating their patients and recognized the healing benefits of aromatherapy and in massage and knew disease could be treated effectively using pharmaceuticals.
Historians and Egyptologists suspect the mortality rate following medical intervention in ancient Egypt was lower than European hospitals in the Christian era until the advent of personal hygiene practices and instrument sterilization was adopted in the mid-20th century.
However, even in a culture where bodies were regularly dissected for embalming, ancient Egyptian doctors had minimal insight into how the functioning of the internal organs and routinely blamed supernatural forces for disease or illness.
Facts About Medicine In Ancient Egypt
- Ancient Egyptians put a premium on cleanliness. They bathed and purified their bodies and shaved their body hair to ward off illness
- They believed the human body comprised passages that worked like irrigation canals. When they became blocked, the person became ill
- The ancient Egyptians researched how the body works and documented their finding
- They discovered the pulse was connected to the heartbeat and the bronchial tubes to the lungs
- Malaria was common in Egypt and doctors had no treatment for it
- Ancient Egyptians invented 11 different techniques for aiding difficult deliveries
- Only alcohol was used as anesthesia during surgical procedures.
- A parasite in the Nile River caused Schistosomiasis resulting in numerous deaths
- Ancient Egyptian doctors were specialized in dentistry, pharmacology, gynecology, autopsy, embalming and general healing.
- Ancient Egypt’s 4th Dynasty produced Peseshet the world’s first female physician. Her title was, “Lady Overseer of the Lady Physicians”
Dealing With Disease And Injuries
Thanks to the cause and effect nature of injuries, the ancient Egyptians found injuries simple to understand and treat. Disease proved more problematic.
Ancient Egyptian doctors operated a form of triage. They appear to have routinely separated injuries into three different classes.
- Treatable injuries, which could be addressed immediately.
- Contestable injuries. These were not thought to be life-threatening, so the patient could be expected to survive without the doctor intervening. These patients were monitored to ensure their condition didn’t deteriorate
- Untreatable Injuries. These were beyond the doctor’s ability or resources to treat and doctors refrained from intervening.
Doctors treated many diseases by reciting magical spells. Similarly, sin was often seen as the root causes of disease. When that had been ruled out, the patient was often believed to be enduring a tribulation set by the gods, beset by an angry ghost or suffering a demonic attack. An evil force entering the body was seen as the most likely cause of disease and sickness. Subsequently, most doctors were magicians.
Ancient Diseases
Ancient Egyptians suffered from the common cold, heart disease, bronchitis, smallpox, tuberculosis, appendicitis, kidney stones, malaria, liver disease, pneumonia, cancer, dementia; typhoid, arthritis, curvature of the spine, high blood pressure, dysentery, ovarian cysts, bilharziasis from drinking contaminated water and trachomas.
Ancient Egypt’s Medical Texts
Only a few of ancient Egypt’s medical texts have survived to the present day. These cast a light on how the ancient Egyptians perceived disease and the approaches they took to treat a patient’s symptoms and to effect a cure. To varying degrees, all these texts incorporated sympathetic magic alongside their medical techniques.
The New Kingdom (c. 1570 – c. 1069 BCE) era Berlin Medical Papyrus discusses fertility and contraception and contains the earliest known pregnancy tests. The Edwin Smith Papyrus (c. 1600 BCE) is the world’s oldest surgical text. The Chester Beatty Medical Papyrus (c. 1200 BCE) advises on treating anorectal disease and recommends cannabis for cancer patients. The Ebers Papyrus (c. 1550 BCE) discusses possible treatments for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, depression and birth control, while the Demotic Magical Papyrus of London and Leiden (c. 3rd century CE) covers divination and magical spells.
The New Kingdom Hearst Medical Papyrus discusses treatments for digestive issues and urinary tract infections. The Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus (c. 1800 BCE) deals with pregnancy and conception problems and. the London Medical Papyrus (c. 1782-1570 BCE) lays out prescriptions for issues skin, eye, pregnancy issues and burns.
Doctors were equated to Per Ankh or the House of Life priests. This was a specialized school and library annex attached to a temple.
