Ancient Egyptian Medicine-germantowacademy

The Egyptians were very smart and they had a lot of intelligent doctors. But unlike the United States, which did not have many female doctors until the past few decades, Egyptians had many female physicians. The Egyptians believed that illnesses were caused by demons that entered the body, which had to be removed. The Egyptians treated these illnesses with their many home made prescriptions, along with magic that the priests performed.

Papyrus is paper made from reeds, which contained the Egyptian doctors information. The papyrus was stored in the house of life, which was a room in Egyptian temples. The papyrus scrolls or books were very important, because they told the doctors how to treat the illness or wound, and what ingredients to use. One of the most important papyrus found, without a doubt, is the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus. This papyrus was put on sale and bought by Edwin Smith, who was an adventurer, a moneylender, and a dealer of antiquities. The Edwin Smith Papyrus is second in length, only to the Ebers Papyrus, which was said to have been found in the Assassif district of the Theben necropolis between the legs of a mummy.

The Egyptians had a lot of medical tools. But more impressive was the number of ingredients that they had for making medicines. The Egyptians had over 600 home made ingredients! Some of the ingredients were natron, myrrh, (a gum resin), malachite, (a green mineral), dung, blood, fat of animals, fig dates, aloe, cucumber, dill, and mustard. They also valued Juniper berries, which were imported from Lebanon. Garlic was also prized for its medicinal properties, (and was used in magic too). The lotus blossom was very important to the Egyptians. They decorated their temples and many of their belongings with the image of the lotus. The Egyptians also used henna to color the hair and skin, which was supposed to have the power to ward off danger. The Egyptians had many prescriptions as well. Doctors had prescriptions for almost every problem imaginable.

The Egyptians believed that the seat of emotions was the heart, not the brain. They also thought that science, religion and magic worked together to explain how the world worked. When someone was sick, both doctors and the priests came to treat the illness. They believed that illness was caused by an evil spirit or by the wrath of the goes. Religion played a big part in Egyptian life and no Egyptian lived without it. Magic was mostly performed by the priests, who would say their many prayers, along with the doctors healing prescriptions.