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Ancient Egyptian medicine

© Lucy Charlotte Acland Johnson

Ancient Egyptian medicine was very advanced for its time, and its reputation spread to nearby countries. Doctors washed their hands and disinfected their instruments using fire before each new case, as a purification ritual: This was very unusual at the time as hygiene was not really understood and prevented wound contamination. Doctors also used bandages and poultices impregnated with antiseptic herbs, which aided healing.

Egyptian doctors did have some idea of how the body worked internally, their knowledge being mostly gained from experience of mummification. They believed the heart to be the most essential body organ, and were aware that it pumps blood around the body-they also knew that pulses are linked with it, saying that a pulse "speaks the messages of the heart".

Some Ancient Egyptian medicine was, however, rather more dubious: Lizards blood and the excrement of various animals were brewed in many potions for internal illness.

Priests played a major role in healing, as well as doctors, as prayer and amulets were regarded as important components or medicine. The two most popular amulets featured the gods Bes and Horus:

BES was the household god and repelled danger from the family; he watched over newborn children and their mother, and is often depicted carrying a sword, to symbolise his role as a protector.

HORUS had the power of his mother Isis and was powerful enough to protect a household, even when depicted as a youth, from the natural perils of living in Ancient Egypt.

Of course there were many illnesses which were incurable, as medicinal understanding was simply not advanced enough so long ago; limited treatments were available for most diseases, but doctors in Ancient Egypt simply did not have the knowledge to combat serious disease or mental illness (depression, for example, was not seen as a physical problem, to do with the chemistry of the brain, as it is today). Although hygiene was very good for the time, as previously mentioned, gangrenous wounds often proved fatal. Doctors were encouraged to take note of the treatments they used, and the result.

When a doctor first assessed a patient he would ask questions, inspect, smell and probe. He would then use one of the following phrases:

"An ailment which I will treat"-If the illness was certainly curable.

"An ailment with which I will contend"-If the outcome was doubtful.

"An ailment not to be treated"-This sentence was not often said to the patient, but doctors were told not to inflict unnecessary suffering, and they often knew there was nothing to be done.

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