WEEK 3 (Medicine in Ancient Egypt) Flashcards
Why were the “Sheperds of the anus” the most respected doctors?
Since the ancient egyptians believed that all diseases entered through the anus
Which organ did the ancient Egyptians believe was the most important?
Heart
Why were Pest control officers considered healers?
The removal of insects prevented the spread of infection
Were female physicians allowed to treat male patients?
NO
How long was Ancient Egypt stable and thriving for?
3000 years
Where were invaluable clues about Ancient Egyptian medicine found?
Hieroglyphics & Medical writings
What did the Early Egyptians believe about health?
- Everyone was born healthy but evil spirits sometimes enter the body and need to be banished using prayers, magic spells and magic poems
- Body fluids move through the body’s vessels like the Nile
- Heart is key to life
What adjustments to cleanliness did the Ancient Egyptians make?
- Water closets at home
- Waste water carried out of houses in copper pipes
- Mosquito nets
Surgery for amputations involved the use of a knife made out of which material?
Flint or Obsidian
What were the different types of Healers?
- Physicians
- Exorcists
- Priests of Sekhmet (surgeons/specialists in feeling the pulse and treating diseases of vessels)
Were females allowed to be doctors?
YES
Who was Lady Peseshet?
Lady overseer of the lady physicians
[whether she was a physician herself is uncertain]
Who was Imhotep?
- Egyptian who was elevated by the greeks to the status of the god of medicine
- Key advisor to Pharaoh Djoser
- Designer of one of the earliest pyramids “STEP PYRAMID”
- Healing method was incubation (sleeping & dreaming)
Who is generally considered the author of the Edwin Smith Papyrus?
Imhotep
Edwin Smith Papyrus
- “Book of wounds”
- 1600 BC
- Descriptions of 48 different medical cases involving the treatment of various types of wounds
- Wounds and recommended cures organised by body part
What treatments were involved in the Edwin Smith Papyrus?
- Placing raw meat on wounds
- Honey to stimulate creation of white blood cells
- Sour/mouldy bread for wound treatment
- Rubbing head of patient with headache for 4 days with poultice made of skull of catfish
What were the different classes of physicians written in the Edwin Smith Papyrus?
- Swnw “Doctor of the people”
- Wabw “Pure”
- Saw “Guardian”
Swnw (Doctor of the people)
- Lowest of the medical people
- Self-taught (trial and error)
- Junior doctor = swnw
- Senior doctors = wr-swnw
Wabw (Pure)
- Higher status
- Patients are more privileged
- Administered medicine & religious rites
Saw (Guardian)
- Patients were royalty & elites
- Education and training within palace schools
- Formal apprenticeships
- Techniques of wabw & magic & sorcery
- Health ministers
Ebers Papyrus
- Begins with 3 incantations to be used when giving remedies or removing bandages
- Broken into multiple books
- Specific volumes on internal diseases, eye and skin ailments
- Obstetrics, contraception and dentistry discussed separately
- 8th book is anatomy & physiology (good description of circulatory system)
- 876 prescriptions
- 500 substances
What is the 4 step method for conducting a clinical exam mentioned in the Elbers Papyrus?
1) Preliminary diagnosis/Prognosis (decide whether to treat patient)
2) Examination of patient
3) Diagnosis
4) Plan for treatment
How do you Examine a patient?
- Use all 5 senses in evaluation
- Check pulse rate
- Palpate male patients
- Taste and sniff the patient’s bodily fluids
(Known as the four step method)
What did the Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus include?
- Female health issues
- Description of a method for revealing whether a woman was pregnant or not and determine the gender of the baby
[if barley grew = pregnant with a boy, if wheat grew = pregnant with a girl, if nothing grew = not pregnant]
List of other medical Papyri
- Berlin Papyrus (1300 BC)
- Hearst Papyrus (1500 BC)
- London Papyrus (1350 BC)
What was introduced to the health of pyramid workers?
- Health insurance
- Exemptions or assignments to “light duties”
- Pensions for someone who was deemed incapacitated
- Pensions & Sick leave
What are examples of Egyptian medicines?
- Raw liver for night blindness
- Vaginal contraceptive made of crocodile oil, gum acacia/honey and natron
- Opium poppy
What were the two classes of dentists?
Dentists & Great dentist
In which Papyrus included the “Four step method” of diagnosis?
Eber’s Papyrus
What dental issues was most prevalent in Ancient Egypt?
Tooth decay
(Since bread was so sticky)
