The Magic and Science of Ancient Egyptian Medicine
THE SCIENCE AND MYSTERY OF ANCIENT
EGYPTIAN MEDICINE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE 1. Introduction 1 2. The Edwin Smith Papyrus 2 2.1 Authorship 3 3. The Ebers papyrus 3 4. Human anatomy and physiology 4 4.1 Head, heart and thoracic cavity 4 4.2 Limbs and Injuries 5 4.3 Disease, Illness and their remedies and cures 6 5. Medicine and Dispensing 7 6. Conclusion 8 7. Bibliography 9
Page 1
1. INTRODUCTION A broken bone, a runny nose, stomachache, toothache, headache or strange lumps and bumps; these are just a few of the ailments that have plagued man for millennia. We are lucky that today we have advanced methods and techniques of dealing with our illnesses and injuries. Lazers, CAT scans and blood tests enable contemporary physicians to accurately diagnose and treat whatever it is ailing us. These physicians have also had years of training and have studied medicine in depth. Imagine not having any of the conveniences of modern medicine; no well-trained doctors to treat and no modern machine to help with diagnosing. What was available were (up until about 150 years ago) “doctors” who were self-taught, usually by dissecting exhumed corpses and\or by trial and error on living patients. One can only think the latter being highly unpleasant.
However, falling ill or being injured in Ancient Egypt might not have been all that bad. The ancient Egyptians referred to medicine as a “necessary art” (Ghalioungi 1973:xi). This name alone tells us that medicine was as essential skill and it was practiced by people who were skilled in the science of medicine. Egyptian medicine was not a pure science though. It also consisted of magical and mythical aspects.
Upon the administering of the medicinal aspect (science), incantations were said (magic) to speed up the
EGYPTIAN MEDICINE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE 1. Introduction 1 2. The Edwin Smith Papyrus 2 2.1 Authorship 3 3. The Ebers papyrus 3 4. Human anatomy and physiology 4 4.1 Head, heart and thoracic cavity 4 4.2 Limbs and Injuries 5 4.3 Disease, Illness and their remedies and cures 6 5. Medicine and Dispensing 7 6. Conclusion 8 7. Bibliography 9
Page 1
1. INTRODUCTION A broken bone, a runny nose, stomachache, toothache, headache or strange lumps and bumps; these are just a few of the ailments that have plagued man for millennia. We are lucky that today we have advanced methods and techniques of dealing with our illnesses and injuries. Lazers, CAT scans and blood tests enable contemporary physicians to accurately diagnose and treat whatever it is ailing us. These physicians have also had years of training and have studied medicine in depth. Imagine not having any of the conveniences of modern medicine; no well-trained doctors to treat and no modern machine to help with diagnosing. What was available were (up until about 150 years ago) “doctors” who were self-taught, usually by dissecting exhumed corpses and\or by trial and error on living patients. One can only think the latter being highly unpleasant.
However, falling ill or being injured in Ancient Egypt might not have been all that bad. The ancient Egyptians referred to medicine as a “necessary art” (Ghalioungi 1973:xi). This name alone tells us that medicine was as essential skill and it was practiced by people who were skilled in the science of medicine. Egyptian medicine was not a pure science though. It also consisted of magical and mythical aspects.
Upon the administering of the medicinal aspect (science), incantations were said (magic) to speed up the
Bibliography: Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm) was treated by wrapping the emerging end of the worm around a stick and slowly pull it out. 3500 years later, the treatment has not changed.