Egyptian Medicine Flashcards
What did the Egyptians think caused disease?
Supernatural ideas - Gods such as Sekhmet caused and cured illness.
Natural ideas - Undigested, rotting food in the bowels caused gases to block channels in the body. The ‘blocked channel’ theory was inspired by the River Nile and irrigation channels.
Who treated disease in Egyptian society?
Specialist doctors treated illness and recorded treatments on papyrus.
Priest Magicians - Provided supernatural treatments.
Priest Physicians - Provided natural treatments.
How did the Egyptians treat disease?
Natural - Purging to unblock channels and herbal remedies with wide range of herbs due to international trade.
Supernatural - Praying to Sekhmet (the God of healing).
What surgery could the Egyptians perform?
They made brass surgical instruments which were more precise but were limited to external surgery and setting broken bones.
What anatomical knowledge did the Egyptians have?
They had knowledge of the main organs due to mummification e.g. Heart and liver. Knowledge was limited as they couldn’t dissect for religious reasons (body was needed in the afterlife).
Could the Egyptians control pain, bleeding and infection?
Pain - they had some mild pain relieving herbs e.g. Myrtle
They couldn’t control bleeding or infection.
What was Public Health like in the Egyptian period?
Low life expectancy, no government actions to keep the public healthy.
People washed and shaved their bodies for religious reasons which rid them of lice and reduced chance of disease.
What factors affected Medicine in the Egyptian period?
Religion - Egyptians had a culture of multiple Gods which led to supernatural ideas. Belief in the afterlife led to knowledge of major organs but hindered anatomy as it stopped dissection.
Science & technology - Irrigation from the Nile led to the blocked channel theory. System of writing helped record and share treatments. Brass instruments made surgery more precise.
Communications - International trade led to a wide range of herbs and sharing ideas.
