The Magic and Science of Ancient Egyptian Medicine

The Ancient Egyptian society’s beliefs based their religion on polytheism which is defined as multiple ‘gods’ which were in charge of an area of life. There were up to 2,000 ‘gods and goddesses’ which controlled every aspect of the Egyptians lives. As a result the beliefs and religion belonging to the society affected the Egyptians to an ample extent. This can be observed through the values of : everyday life - , the judicial system - which was founded on religion and monitored by the religious leaders, the afterlife - to be believed that your body needed to be prepared for the afterlife and your honourable works on earth was judged by Osiris and the approach to the status of animals - for example cats were believed to be an earthly form of

Ancient Egyptian embalming was a very sacred process performed by experienced embalmers. Ancient Egyptians used to bury the deceased underground, but because of that they decayed faster in a coffin when they aren’t exposed to the hot sand of the desert. That is how they developed the process of embalming to preserve the bodies.

We find that the “oldest written sources of western medicine are The Hippocratic writings from the 5th and 4th centuries BC; which covers all aspects of medicine at that time and contain numerous medical terms.”(Wulff) This was the beginning of the Greek era of the language of medicine, which lasted even after the Roman

can come to the conclusion that all physicians were well looked after and were a valuable asset to all pharaoh. In wartime and on journeys anywhere within Egypt, the sick are all treated free of charge, because doctors are paid by

Egyptians were considered some of the best doctors in ancient times, starting from the Stone Age and onward. Written documents and cave carvings found from this time period suggests that they were highly advanced for their time, particularly in the impressive knowledge of human anatomy. For example, the Edwin Smith papyrus lay out a myriad of surgical treatments for a certain type of injury, giving many historians insight on how Egyptians operated in the field. (Lawrence 444) The Edwin Smith papyrus was divided into sections: title, examination, diagnosis, and treatment, a clear sign of the vast amounts of understanding in medicine. (Schlager 94) It is said that medicine became a main focus in the civilization due to the fear of illness and

The earliest recorded smallpox was happened in ancient Egypt. In the end of fifth century, the European colonists gave blankets which used by smallpox patients to the indigenous people, the plague happed. Until the human cured the smallpox completely, more than millions of people had been killed by the smallpox.

The Edwin papyrus is said to be based on the earlier writing from the Old Kingdom and dates back to the Dynasties time period of 16-17. Looking at the time line this might have been its place of origin. The main basis of this papyrus consists of medical cases dealing with surgical trauma. The detailed explanations and method of treatment and diagnoses were results and scientific based. As the other part of the papyrus is known as the Ebers Papyrus consists of medical scripts based in magic and focused on the physical and mental ailments, the Edwin Smith Papyrus is a medical version on surgical trauma and practical

Hippocrates contribute a very important perspective on medical knowledge in medieval western Europe times. Subsequently, Hippocrates was not a licensure physician, but in those times licensure was not a necessity. In this time period in seems to be Hippocrates innate instinct to contribute to medical practices. From the very beginning of times Hippocrates lineage was a part of the founding of the art of medicine. Apollo, whose was Hippocrates grandfather was consider in history among the Greeks to be the founder of the art of medicine. Asclepius, whom was the son of the great Apollo, whom Hippocrates father. Asclepius was known among the Greeks culture for his

McMillen and Stern often come back to this point emphasizing the Biblical hygienic accuracy that seems to be ahead of its time. They start with introducing a famous medical book from 1500 B.C. called Ebers Papyrus. This is a view of the early medical practices of the modern civilization Egypt in the ancient times. Most of the cures were based on superstitions or misconceptions and often the cause of illness and death despite good intentions.

Mysteries of ancient Egypt attracted the attention of archeologists and ordinary people for many centuries. An enormous impact on the history of Egypt was religion, it shaped the everyday life of all the egyptians. They wanted an afterlife in Aaru, heaven. It was the ultimate goal. People 's lives were rotating around religion, and everything that was tangent to it.

The historical film called, “Where Did It Come From? Ancient Egypt: Modern Medicine” was produced by Melody Shafir and distributed through the History Channel. Unfortunately, I have not heard of Melody Shafir. Although, I do watch the History Channel often. There is not any reason that the History Channel would provide inaccurate information. They use various professionals’ such as doctors to scientists to conduct experiments or to provide information. Additionally, each professionals’ experience is talked about and credited on the film. The film has a copyrighted date of 2006, so the information provided is about 10 years old. I do not believe that the information is that outdated, because artifacts are studied with 21st century technology

In the Canon of Medicine, Avicenna describes 760 simple and compound drugs, their usage, and their composition, furthering elaborating on Galen’s study concerning humoral pathology. It is comprised of five parts. The first book covers the four elements known at the time (fire, water, earth, and air) as well as the basics of anatomy. The second book contains information regarding cause and symptoms of an illness. The third book covers hygienic practices health and sickness, as well as the inevitability of death. The fourth book delves into classification of illness, while the fifth describes the various types of compound drugs. The Canon of Medicine remained a reliable source to acquire medical information for centuries; in some parts of India, Unani medicine is practiced. Unani medicine is based on the works of Greek philosophers; Avicenna refined this form of Islamic medicine, and it is still implemented today, proving that Avicenna’s influence has extended until the present

When comparing military medicines of Ancient Rome and Medieval and Renaissance, a soldier in Ancient Rome had a better chance of surviving injuries than a soldier in later eras. Due to Ancient Rome’s outstanding medical innovations, their hygienic practices, precise surgeries and medicines.

According to the Chinese, the human body just like matter, in general, was made up of five elements, and they included wood, fire earth, water, and metal. Therefore, health, character and the success of political and private ventures were determined by preponderance at the time of the yin or the yang. The teachings of the religious sect had forbidden the mutilation of the dead human body and consequently there were no anatomy tests that could be used to secure a sure scientific

Blood was thought to be a critical nutritive and administrative substance, and the heart was thought to be the focal point of the circulatory system. The ancient Egyptians composed numerous medical papyri, which were loaded with medicinal formulas that were credited to Imhotep, the legendary god and organizer of their therapeutic framework. Other medicinal papyri talk about the impacts of different medications and the order and systematization of infections and their manifestations. The individual cleanliness of the ancient Egyptians was flawless.