Ancient Egypt: Pioneers in medicine
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Egyptian medicine is one of the oldest in history. Herodotus identified this region as a fertile land that produces an abundance of drugs, some are remedies and other poisons, its doctors are the wisest of the world.
The art of healing that was practiced at that time made use of plants and plant compounds that have proved to be medicinal and help alleviate some ailments and diseases.
Certainly, we can not forget the weight that religion and magic had in this civilization. In fact, many diagnostics involve evil spirits and curses of the gods. However, archeological and historical studies have shown that the Egyptians had great medicinal knowledge obtained from objective experience. While the practice of medicine had a religious or divine meaning, it was, overall, true science.
The village doctors were called Sun-Nu, which means “the man for those who suffer or are sick”. At the time of the pharaohs, this group had a lot of freedom to investigate the effects of the plants that grew around the Nile.
Many historians relate this concern for medicine to the building of the pyramids. The construction of these monuments required about twenty thousand workers gathered together for a long time. The danger of epidemics was immensely high. Thus, the pharaoh’s officials included onions in the food supply to their workers. Today we know that onion juice is an effective antibacterial agent against infection, but the question is: how did they know it? Furthermore, the sarcophagus of Tutankhamen was found surrounded by a collar made of plants used to combat allergies, illnesses and diseases. It seems sensible to think that they were there for the pharaoh to have a healthy afterlife.
A known plant used for medical purposes was Cymbopogon Proximus, employed as a remedy against kidney stones and nephritic colic. This compound is currently sold as Proximoly and is an effective medicine for kidney ailments. Corchorus Oliterius was also widely used by Egyptian healers, from which glycosides are extracted and used against heart failure. And these are just two examples.
Egyptologists have rescued several papyrus with recipes and curative remedies, many of them are spells but medicinal plants are listed as ingredients, A famous document found by George Ebers from 1550 years BC is regarded as one of the earliest treatise on medicine. In its content there are plenty of diagrams on the anatomy and physiology of the heart and vessels. It is a work that demonstrates that ancient Egyptian doctors had knowledge of the movements of the heart, with a description of the 48 vessels which are distributed throughout the body, a dissertation of their function and a reference to almost seven thousand medicinal substances.
The Ebers papyrus is a compilation of various medical disciplines; internal medicine, ophthalmology, dermatology, orthopedics, disorders of the head (tongue, teeth, nose, ears). There are anatomical, pathological and physiological explanations for each disease and therapy, surgical descriptions of diseases such as anthrax, node tuberculosis, fistulae, hemorrhoids, tumors, hernias, varicose veins and hydroceles.
The Edwin Smith papyrus is of a surgical nature and includes descriptions of conditions reported with extraordinary precision and detail: wounds, fractures, dislocations, burns, abscesses, tumors that can occur from head to toe, description of surgical instruments, and so on. This document is regarded as a treatise on Emergency Surgery.
The techniques used for the embalming and mummification of the bodies showed what great connoisseurs of anatomy the ancient Egyptians were. Thus Egyptian culture presents a great paradox – despite having gone down in history as one of the most influenced by religious belief and magic, it was also one of the foremost societies to practice science as a method to improve the lives and health of the people.
Translated from diariosur.es
- A Passport to Egypt: The Red Pyramid
- Traveling Back in Time to see Egyptian Art
- Egyptian Hieroglyphics
