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Egyptian Medicine

3000–500 BC

The History of Medicine

For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation.

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Egyptian society

The Egyptian Empire was

very wealthy because of

its fertile soil, and had

strong rulers who took

over other lands. They

built large cities and

traded with distant

countries such as China.

The wealthier people were educated, and could afford

doctors to treat their illnesses. They believed in cleanliness

and followed a structured religion which dictated that they

needed their bodies in an afterlife.

What would you expect the state of medicine and

health to be in Ancient Egypt?


Egyptian education

The wealth of Egyptian society mean that a structured

education system was developed.

An important library was built at Alexandria.

The library contained

reference books which

allowed people to study

and learn about medicine.


Egyptian medicine


Egyptians believed that their bodies were required for the

afterlife, and so they practised mummification to preserve

the bodies of the dead.

This involved removing all the

internal organs, except the

heart, treating the body with

spices (embalming) and then

wrapping it in bandages as a

mummy.

What do you think Egyptians learnt from the

mummification process?

Who do you think carried out the procedure?


However, they did not

dissect the body or try

to find out how it

worked. Why do you

think this was?

Through the mummification process the Egyptians learnt

something about the make up of the body (anatomy).


Egyptian’s medical knowledge and beliefs


Egyptian treatments

“…[the Egyptians] purge themselves … for they think that

all diseases stem from the foods they eat … They wear

newly washed linen clothing. They practise circumcision

for the sake of cleanliness. Twice a day and every night

they wash in cold water.”

Can you explain how these actions helped prevent

disease? Do you think the Egyptians knew why

cleanliness was a good idea?

Personal cleanliness was part of the Egyptian religion. The

Greek historian, Herodotus, wrote in the 5th century BC:


Herbal, animal and mineral treatments

To drive away inflammation

of the eyes, grind the

stems of the juniper of

Byblos, steep them in

water, apply to the eyes of

the sick person and he will

be quickly cured.

The Egyptians recorded on papyrus thousands of remedies

made from plants, animals, minerals and other

ingredients. These examples are from medical documents

dated from around 1500 BC:

For diseases of the

bladder: Bread in a

rotten condition.

The doctor must

use it to fight the

sickness…

Why might mouldy bread help cure infections?


What do these sources tell you about Egyptian

medicines?

Cure for cataracts:

Mix brain-of-tortoise with honey. Place on the eye and

say:

There is a shouting in the southern sky in darkness,

There is an uproar in the northern sky, The Hall of

Pillars falls into the waters. The crew of the sun god

bent their oars so that the heads at his side fall into the

water, Who leads hither what he finds? I lead forth

what I find. I lead forth your heads. I lift up your necks. I

fasten what has been cut from you in its place. I lead

you forth to drive away the god of Fevers and all

possible deadly arts.


Egyptian surgical treatments

Egyptian surgery included mending broken bones and

removing cysts, but no major surgery was done.

Treatment for a broken nose from the Papyrus, 1550 BC:

“…clean his nose with two plugs of linen and then insert two

plugs soaked in grease into his nostrils. You should make

him rest until the swelling has gone down, you should

bandage his nose with stiff rolls of linen and treat him with

lint every day until he recovers.”

This remedy is more than 3,500 years old. How would you

say it compares with modern day treatments?

Egyptian religion required that the body stayed intact,

meaning that embalmers extracted organs through small

incisions and no dissections happened.


Magical and religious treatments

Egyptians, like prehistoric Britons and Aborigines, believed

in the presence of spirits, and many wore charms or

amulets to ward off the evil ones.

They also believed that

gods could both cause

and cure disease.

Temples were built where

the sick could bathe in

holy water or sleep

overnight, in the hope

that their god would send

a cure.


Imhotep was a personal

doctor to the Pharaoh c.

2600 BC. He was made a

god and worshipped as

the founder of Egyptian

medicine. People

believed that leaving gifts

before his statue in

temples would ensure a

cure for their illness.

Imhotep


The Egyptians had many remedies for illnesses.

They also relied on charms and worshipping gods.

What does this tell us about the effectiveness of

their remedies?

The Egyptians’ medical knowledge was far

superior to that of the ancient Britons or

Aborigines, yet their life expectancy was only

marginally better. Why might medical progress

not result in improvement in health?

Questions

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