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Medicine in the Ancient Egypt
Geographic position
Historical cross section
Old Kingdom
2700 b.C. – 2200 b.C.
3rd i 4th Dynasty
Great pyramids
Middle Kingdom
2050. b.C. – 1800. b.C.
12th Dynasty
New Kingdom1570. b.C. - 1090
b.C.
18th Dynasty – Hatshepsut, Tutmosis IV, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun
XIX. i XX. - dinastija – Ramses II, Ramses III
Ptolemaic Dynasty332. b.C. - 30 b.C.
Alexander the Great, Ptolemies, Cleopatra VII
Historical cross sectionOld Kingdom
2700 b.C. – 2200 b.C.
Middle Kingdom
2050. b.C. – 1800. b.C.
New Kingdom1570. b.C. - 1090
b.C.
Ptolemaic Dynasty332. b.C. - 30 b.C.
The first physician
• Around 2650 b.C.• Imhotep – King
Djoser’s Chancellor • Chancellor of the King of Lower
Egypt, First in line after the King of Upper Egypt, Administrator of the Great Palace, Hereditary nobleman, High Priest of Heliopolis, Builder, Chief Carpenter, Chief Sculptor and
Maker of Vases in Chief • Later he was deificated
Reliefs
• Around 2550. b.C. – the “nose” doctor has cured the pharaoh, who was suffering from upper respiratory tract disease
• End of the third millenium b.C. – circumcision
Medical Papyri
• 19th century b.C.
Kahun Gynecological Papyrus
• 17th century b.C.
Edwin Smith papyrus• 16th century b.C.
Ebers papyrus
Hears papyrus• Berlin papyrus• London papyrus
Archeology• 14 century b.C.• Akhen Aten (Horizon of the
Aten) – the new capital• Built as the “green town”
with many parks and gardens
• Sewer system – through the middle of the city ran a canal
State archive
• First in Egypt
• Clay plates written in Acadian
• King of Mitanni sent to cure to Amenophis III the picture of godess Ishtar
Homeric epic poems
• around 800 b.C.
• Homer mentioned medicinal plants from Egypt
• Potion of oblivion - probably extracts of poppy
Herodotus
• around 450 b.C.
• specialties - for eyes, teeth, stomach, internal diseases, anus
• nets are protecting them from mosquitos
• food – fish and broad bean are forbidden
Diseases and drugs
• Bigger wounds and fractures were often infected – willow leaves and crusts
• Oral infections - resin called "olibanum“
• Teeth were cleaned with mixture of quartz, clay and honey
• Barm was used for skin infections
• Mould bread on wound with pus
Inflammation
• Tuberculosis – found on the skelets
• Mastoiditis
• Pus focal points in oral cavity – pus was extracted from tooth throug a small incision. Myrth was used to kill pain
• Honey and milk were used for upper respiratory tract problems
Oftalmology• Inlammations were often
as sand, flies and sludgy water were parts of every day life
• Crunched cow liver and gall bladder
• Against trachoma – clay and copper
• Eye was flushed with urin
• Legend – Ra is checking Horus vision
Aterosclersis and obesity
• Ramses II – aterosclerosis was the cause of death
• Amenophis III and Ramses III were obesed and their arteries were plaqued
Infectiousdiseases
• Pox and leprosy found on mummies
• Work camps - epidemies - onion, garlic and radish were distributed
• 1948 active supstances were isolated from radish,later also from garlic and onion
• Schistosoma eggs found
• Gall and urinary stones
• Gout – white beds on fingers
• Reumatic articular changes
Tumori
• Bone tumors
• Kahun papyrus - uterus cancer
Edwin Smith papyrus• Around 17 th century b.C. describes surgery• Probably written in Imhotep’s time• 5 meters long, 48 cure instructions
• Fixation of fractures with bovine bones and bandages emerged in pitch
• Brain and fontanelles mentioned for the first time• Wounds were sawn
• Puls – from the heart
Ebers papyrus• 16th century b.C.
• 20,23 m long
• Burning wounds
• Poppy – source of opium, morphia, codein and papaverin• Belladona – scopolamin – narcotic
• Ducts from the heart into other organs ( passing through them: air, blood, slime, food, semen and feces)
Kahun ginekološki papirus
• 19th century b.C.
• 34 paragraphs
• “fry” odour
• contraception made of acacia, date fruit and honey
• Gender prediction – barley or wheat
• Egyptian women gave birth in squatting position
