EGYPTIAN MEDICINE

•Prashiddha Dhakal (MBBS,KUSMS)•Sunder Chapagain (MBBS,KUSMS)•Anjeela Gajurel (BDS,KUSMS)•Anu Duwal (MBBS,KUSMS)•Manish Dev (MBBS,KUSMS)•Nitesh Kandel (BDS,KUSMS)•Pintu Kumar Gami (MBBS,KUSMS)•Shraddha Joshi (BDS,KUSMS)

CONTENTS:

HistoryNutrition and SanitationMedical PracticesDiagnosis Of DiseaseCommon DiseaseCures and RemediesThe Metu and MummyPapyrusRole of Egyptian Medicine In Modern TimesConclusion

INTRODUCTION

Egyptian civilizationEgyptians, the father of medicineImportant personalities

EGYPTPopulation: 82,079,636

Population growth rate: 1.96%

Birth rate: 25.43 births/1,000 population

Death rate: 4.82deaths/1,000 population

Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 72.4 years male: 69.5 years female: 74.8 years

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATIONDates back to 5200 BC on the bank of Nile

riverEgyptians, the father of medicine

The ancient Egyptians built pyramids to bury their Pharaohs and worshipped gods who ruled every aspect of their lives. The goddess Sekhmet was believed to cause or cure diseases and priests played a large part in Egyptian medicine. The Egyptians had doctors who specialized in treating particular parts of the body as well as researching the properties of herbal medicines. Their detailed records of the symptoms and treatments of illnesses formed some of the first medical text books

HISTORY OF EGYPTIAN MEDICINE

papyrus

Egyptologists have found documents, written on a type of paper called papyrus, that describe medical techniques similar to those used today.

Imphotep was the physician to King Zozer and lived in about 2600 BC

Imphotep was considered so important that he was, after his death, was worshipped as a god of healing.

Almost all of our knowledge about Ancient Egyptian medical knowledge comes from the discoveries of papyrus documents, that describe medical techniques similar to those used today.

As today, the Egyptians suffered from the common cold. Here is a remedy taken from an ancient papyrus:

To make them feel better, the patient should be given the milk of a mother who has given birth to a boy. The following spell was to be made to get rid of the cold:

May you flow out, catarrh, son of catarrh, who breaks the bones, who destroys the skull, who hacks in the marrow, who causes the seven openings in the head to ache.Ebers Papyrus

Health and God

Religious beliefs dominated the ancient Egyptians' view of healing.

Doctors were often priests who were able to communicate with the gods responsible for the health of different parts of the body.

Illness was due to the presence of evil spirits or poisons and removing these from the body with prayers to the gods would cure the disease.

Medicines were used to help relieve pain but were not thought to play any other role in the healing process.

First pharmacists

Ancient Egyptians would be familiar with the idea of a modern chemist.

Their pharmacists prepared prescriptions of ointments, potions, inhalers and pills by processing plant materials that were used to treat specific illnesses.

Records show that they used many preparations including opium, cannabis, linseed oil and senna.

Many modern drugs have originated from the study and isolation of active ingredients from plants with healing properties used in ancient time

Imhotep, a physician who became a deified god

MUMMY AND MUMMIFICATION

What is Mummy?MummificationSignificance

What is Mummy?A mummy, in terms of Ancient Egypt, is

body that has been well preserved for thousands of years.

Mummification A MysteryMummification process of making mummyFirst mummification ImhotepThe body linked to a spiritual existence in

the afterlife.Mummification So that the spirit could get

the sufficient food and water

Natural Mummification Hot & Dry climate

Three basic ways to mummify a body: All internal organs removed Inject Cedar oil from rectum and

dry Inject Unknown liquid Dry Wrap

SIGNIFICANCE OF MUMMY

Idea about conserving a dead body.

Idea about Surgery and Dressing.

THE METU Heart as key to concepts

of anatomy and physiology

• The metu essential to life and health

• Imbalances within metu as cause of pain and illness

PAPYRUSThe first medical texts, date from late 12th

Dynasty to 20th Dynasty (2000-1090B.C)

Has detailed records of the symptoms and treatments of illnesses.

Describes medical techniques similar to those used today.

Seven medical papyri: The Kahun Gynecological Papyrus

The Ebers Papyrus

The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus

The Hearst

The Chester

The Berlin

The London

KEY MEDICAL PAPYRIThe Kahun (1825 B.C)gynecology

The Ebers (1534 B.C)internal medicine

The Edwin Smith Papyrus (1600 B.C)surgical wounds and fractures

Edwin Smith Papyrus

Ebers papyrus

NUTRITIONAware of importance of dietMain crops emmer wheat & barleyCereal food main backboneBarley beerLinseed plant oilFish widely usedEvidence of prohibition during certain

periods against certain types of animal products

SANITATIONBathrooms right in their home.Dispose of their garbage the communal

dump.Drainage and disposal of waste.Gathering water workable, viable

sanitation system

SURGERY3 categories of diseases

•Treatable•Contestable•Untreatable

Surgical tools:- knives, hooks, drills, forceps, pinehers, scales, spoons, saw and vase with burning incenseCircumcision:- Circum=around; cision=to cut Removal of some or all the fore skin(prepuce) from penisClinical benefit+ decrease in HIV infection

Scapels

SURGERY TOOLS

Medical kit

DENTISTRY

Independent profession dated from early 3rd millennium B.C.

Poor teeth due to diet with sand leftovers due to grinding rain

Improvement of grinding madrineEvidence of forced teeth removalPresumption of extreme dental pain might be

medicated with opium.

Egyptian doctors called “Waboni”“Hesy-Ra” = earliest recorded

physician who was chief of dentists and physician to a king named Djoser

Pesehet called first female doctorranks : specializations like inspector of

doctors, overseers and chief doctors

ophthalmologist, gastroenterologist , proctologist, dentists and different “doctors who supervise butcher” and “inspection of liquid”

PROSTHETICSArtificial device used as extension of missing

part of bodyArtificial toes and eyeball usedExtensive use of surgery, mummification

practices and autopsyAutopsy:- also known as postmortem,

necropsy, obduction= is a specialized surgical procedure of a corpse

To determine cause and manner of deathTo evaluate any disease or injury

DIAGNOSIS OF THE DISEASESExamination of the pulsePalpationInguinal herniaSimple bed-tests diagnosis

Examination of the pulseIt includes probably the

examination of the pulse was one of the secret teachings they references from passing to the Greek visitors later .

It has not developed in our modern medicine.

The process of examination follows the same steps as we follow in our modern medical practice.

PalpationIt includes the examination

of abdomen, fracture and tumors.

“you should put your finger on it , you should then palpate his belly”

Tumor were well differentiated. An aneurys described as a hemispherical tumor of the vessel which increase in volume beneath the finger at each pulsation.

It is skilled practiced nowadays by physicians.

Inguinal Hernia

It is described as a tumor above the genitalia, which appears on coughing and could be restored by heat application.

Impulse on cough is the first manifestation of hernia in modern surgical teaching

Heat application is the method to reduce a strangulated hernia

Simple bed-test diagnosis“say to the patient : look at the shoulder,

then breast, then look upward and downwards, if he is not able to do this: he is suffering from the dislocation of the vertebra of the neck.”

DISEASES IN ANCIENT EGYPTMummies are the main source of diagnose

the disease prevalent in ancient Egypt. Study of mummies revealed many disease prevalent in ancient Egypt.

Acquired disorders: Earliest evidence of TB in the world.

Leprosy(Hansen’s disease) :affected many lives in ancient Egypt.

Schistosomiasis : one of the major disease prevalent in modern egypt

Poliomyelitis: suspected in few mummies

Arthritis: most common disease prevalent in ancient and modern Egypt. Mostly prevalent in agricultural worker and by age 90 almost everyone.

Tumors: little evidence of tumors, possibly because the life span in that time was so short

Vascular disease : blood vessels well preserved in mummies and they provide accurate evidence of vascular diseases

Arteriosclerosis: blood vessels are well preserved in mummies. Provide accurate evidence of vascular disease

Other related disease are disease of aorta and coronary arteries ,arterioscleroses of kidney and heart blood vessels.

This give the evidence that the degenerative vascular disease present in modern day highly civilized life was known from ancient egypt.

CURES AND REMEDIESHERBAL MEDICINES & ITS APPLICATIONSINCUBATIONMAGIC, SPELLS & INCHANTATIONS

HERBAL MEDICINESGARLIC asthma & bronchial

pulmonary complainsACACIA skin diseasesONION digestion problemCORIANDER urinary complains

The medications were mixed with one or more of the six vehicles : water(dew), honey, milk, oil, wine, beer.

APPLICATION OF HERBAL MEDICINEFOR CONSTIPATION

“Berries of castor oil tree, chew and swallow down with beer in order to clear out all that is in the body.”

IF NOT EFFECTIVE, THAN ADD

“1/4 leaves of castor oil, 5/6 dates of male palm,

1/16 Cyperus grass, 1/16 stalk of Poppy plant, 1/16 Coriander,1/2 cold beer”

keep moist, strain, and take for four days

FOR DIARRHOEA

“1/ 8 green onions, 1/8 freshly cooked Gruel, 1/4 oil and honey, 1/16 wax, 1/3 water, cook

and take for four days.”

FOR COUGH

“Inhalation of honey, cream, milk, carob, colocynth and date kernels.”

FOR MIGRAINES

Fish Siluris (an electric cat fish) in fat and oil

FOR JOINT PAIN

Treated with ointments containing fat, oil bone marrow, gum or honey as a base. Added flour,

natron, onion, cumin, flax, frankincense or pine.

INCUBATION•A practice which involves sleeping in a temple in order to receive prophetic dreams of God.

MAGIC, SPELLS & INCHANTATIONSINTEGRATION OF

MAGIC IN MEDICINE

GODS OF MEDICINE AND HEALING

CONCLUSIONThe medicinal skills of ancient Egyptians were far beyond

their time. With the writing of the first medical texts, performance of the first surgical techniques, use of the first splints and bandages, the first drug therapies, and the first medical dictionary, the ancient Egyptians revolutionized the world of medicine and laid a path and framework for the advances in medicine that exist in our world today.