![]() The process of examining the patient, interestingly, is what is used in modern medical practice – interrogation of the patient inspection, including body discharges palpation of the pulse and the abdomen – “ You should put your finger on it, you should then palpate his belly” and percussion – “ … and examine his belly, and knock on the finger … place thy hand on the patient and tap”.įollowing diagnosis, one of three decisions would be made – “ An ailment which I will treat”, “ An ailment which I contend”, or “ An ailment not to be treated” – of the 48 cases discussed in the Edwin Smith Papyrus, only 3 were declared hopeless. “ It is there that every physician and every priest of Sekhmet places his fingers … he feels something from the heart” The Edwin Smith Papyrus details the physiology of blood circulation, and its relation to the heart, along with an awareness of the importance of the pulse: Purchased by Georg Ebers in 1873-74, it contains a ‘treatise on the heart’, and notes that the heart is the centre of the blood supply, with vessels attached for every member of the body. For example, they would have needed to have a good knowledge of the anatomy of the head and brain for the process of emptying the skull through the nostrils by employing a long hook.Īnother medical papyrus, the Ebers Papyrus, which contains herbal knowledge, describes the position of the heart precisely. Interestingly, their texts show medical methods that are very similar to modern medicine, for example, the use of direct compression to stop bleeding.Īnother way Egyptian physicians were different was their knowledge of anatomy and physiology, probably because they embalmed their dead, whereas other civilisations burned them. They would first attempt to neutralise the evil before turning to medical treatment.Įgyptian physicians, however, stood out from those of other civilisations because they kept detailed records of case histories. Unaware as they were of microbiology, physicians thought internal diseases were caused by divine punishment or magic. ![]() The first recorded female doctor was possibly Peseshet (2400BC) on a stela dedicated to her, she is referred to as imy-r swnwt, which has been translated as ‘Lady Overseer of Lady Physicians’ ( snwnwt being the feminine of swnw)Īs with other prehistoric civilizations, Egyptian physicians believed that healing and religion were inseparable, that different parts of the body were governed by different gods, and so used special religious incantations to treat patients for specific ailments. ![]() There was also an official ‘Lady Overseer of Lady Physicians’, who supervised the work of female physicians who specialised in minor surgery, bloodletting, obstetrics and gynaecology. ![]() The medical profession was an extremely organised one, with physicians – swnw (sunu) – managed by the Overseer of Physicians, imy-r swnw who was in turn managed by the Chief Physician, wr swnw above him was the Eldest Physician, smsw swnw then the Inspector of Physicians, shd swnw and finally, the Overseer of Physicians of Upper and Lower Egypt. ![]()
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