Ancient Egyptian Medicine

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Egypt contains one of the earliest medical centers in the world. Since 3400 BC, Egypt produced extremely specialized and diligent physicians, many of whom recorded their studies in papyri. The oldest recording dates back to 1570 BC. These same papyri are used today to study Egyptian medical practices, and they contain information regarding diseases, treatment, and preventative medicine. Ancient Egyptian medicine was the most advanced of its time, for they were capable of performing surgeries, recorded a vast amount of medical knowledge on papyri, took steps to prevent disease, and treated ailments with a variety of plants and medicines. Knowledge about Egyptian medicine comes from a variety of sources including papyri, writings of ancient …show more content…

The Egyptians were proficient with bandages and used certain plant products to treat inflammation, and they used stitches to seal wounds. Physicians and doctors treated brain injuries successfully, and they were able to perform amputations and set broken bones ("Ancient Egyptian Medicine in Sickness..."). Although such surgery was well known, no deep surgery occurred (Nordqvist). Dental surgery existed as well; the first is documented between 3000-2000 BC. The most common reason for dental attention was attrition, or the wearing away of tooth tissue. This ailment led to pulling teeth and drilling cavities. However, to prevent this from occurring, dentists created several mouthwashes including bran, celery, and sweet beer. To perform these surgeries, several tools were used. These included saws, forceps, hooks, drills, knives, and several other tools that are present in surgery today. A graduated cubit, or a measuring rod, was also used (“Ancient Egyptian …show more content…

Although many of their methods are now outdated, some of their knowledge was correct, and their careful documentations have allowed medical knowledge to grow. Many of their practices and remedies evolved as they spread throughout the ancient world, eventually forming modern medicine. Their biggest contribution was their understanding of the human body, for without much of that knowledge and their mummies, medicine would be far behind what it is today. We can thank the ancient Egyptians for the time they dedicated to their medical studies, for that study is the foundation of medicine in our

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