Herbs were another aspect of Medicine that stayed the same. In Prehistoric times they were used for healing, and the Egyptians also found that herbs were a good cure for some ailments. They would often use herbs as a natural remedy to cure illness, but sometimes they were mixed up to use as a charm; a supernatural cure. Egyptian knowledge and use of herbs was advanced by their widespread trade links, so they had a greater knowledge of herbal medicine than their prehistoric ancestors did.
The Egyptians also did not fully understand how the human body worked,
and though they could name most of the vital organs, they did not properly understand how they worked. Historians used to think that Egyptians must
have had a good idea of how the human body worked because of the processes involved in embalming, but now they realise that the organs removed in embalming were taken out through small slits in the side of the body, to keep the damage to it minimal, and that embalmers worked in secret, so any anatomical discoveries would not have been widely known.
However, the Egyptians also had some new ideas and methods. Medicine men and Priests were still used as healers, but there were also now Doctors. Rich people could hire full-time physicians to look after them, and there were female doctors. The Pharaoh had his own doctor, called Irj. Egyptian doctors could choose to be general doctors or specialist doctors. If they were specialists, they would only heal one part of the body, for example there would be eye doctors and dentists. The Egyptians were skilled trades people, and they had metal workers. This meant that they could make bronze instruments for surgery. This made surgery easier and reduced the chance of infection. The Egyptians also had very good trade links. This meant that they could gain new herbs from other countries. They learnt how to use these new herbs, and there greatly advanced their natural methods of healing. A much greater emphasis was placed on personal hygiene as well now. They would ‘drink from cups…which they clean’, ‘wear newly washed linen clothing’ and ‘Twice a day and every night, they (would) wash in cold water.’
While the Egyptians could only gain limited anatomical knowledge from embalming, they did have a greater knowledge of the body than their prehistoric ancestors did. They could name all the major organs and knew where they were in the body, even if they did not properly understand how they worked. The Egyptians thought that the heart was the most important part of the body, but did not value the brain at all.
While doctors did not fully understand what caused disease, they were making progress by looking for logical explanations. They thought that the body had channels, and that you could get ill if they became blocked up with wehedu. They came to this conclusion by looking at the river Nile. They used channels to irrigate their fields, and saw that if they became blocked, the water wouldn’t get through. They thought that the body must have
channels too, and that you got ill when they got blocked up with rotting food.
The Egyptians made some important medial progress, and the changes were important for the future because they paved the way for future thinking. The new discoveries and the progress made were vital for future progress. They were some of the first people to place a great emphasis on personal hygiene, and this would help to prevent many potential diseases.
Without Egyptian skills, a lot of progress could not have been made. Without the metal workers of Egypt, bronze surgical tools could not have been made and this would have hindered future operations. Also, their trade links provided them with many important herbs, which may not have been brought to prominence otherwise. The Egyptians were also one of the first races to have specialised doctors and physicians. We know such a lot about Egyptian medicine because they recorded it in documents like the Ebers Papyrus. They brought about a lot of medical discoveries and landmarks, and without Egyptian discoveries, we would not be where we are today, medically.
Florence C-S
