Medicine of the ancient Egyptians.

 Some of the oldest records of medical practices come from ancient Egypt. Today we know them thanks to preserved medical scrolls, informing about the medicines used, magical practices, and common ailments of the Nile civilization, and above all thanks to the Ebers Papyrus. How did the ancients deal with fractures, wild animal bites, and colds? Have they managed to develop an effective method of contraception?

Ancient Egyptian medicine combined a rational approach with the deep religiosity of the society of that time. Colds, asthma, migraines, dangerous crocodile bites and digestive problems were not alien to the civilization of the Nile. To deal with unpleasant ailments, medics were ready not only to prepare the patient a sophisticated mixture based on herbs and other natural ingredients (including wild animal excrement), but also to encourage the patient to pray to the deity corresponding to the disease. For example, those struggling with eye diseases were to turn to the moon god and patron of ophthalmologists, Duau, and priests facing an epidemic asked for mercy from Sachmet - the goddess of war and disease, depicted with the head of a lion.

During the medical consultation, the medic asked the patient about the problem, measured his pulse, examined urine, feces and blood, and also palpated the abdomen. Then he made a diagnosis as to the curability of a given disease. Depending on the symptoms, ancient doctors recommended ointments, suppositories, inhalations or painkillers. At first glance, the old medical care on the Nile, although obviously not systematized, seems to us to be very progressive. Some of the advice still seems rational, such as the breathing-inducing vapors of a heated mixture of carob, honey and date pits used to treat pneumoconiosis, but others are now amusing.

Examples include tests to check fertility or the gender of the baby being carried. In the first case, medics from the Nile recommended the so-called onion test. In the book "How to Survive in Ancient Egypt", Charlotte Booth described its procedure with the following words: "an onion is placed in a woman's vagina overnight, and if in the morning she smells of onion, it means that the channels between the vagina and the rest of the body are open and she will conceive." pregnant." Recognition of the sex of the expected child was to be guaranteed by testing with two bundles with a bit of soil. Wheat grain was placed in one of them, and barley in the other. Then the pregnant woman was supposed to urinate on them every day and observe which seed would sprout first. If it was wheat, a boy would be born.

Only wealthy Egyptians could afford to visit a trained physician. The poorer part of the population often sought advice from a village healer who specialized in the most common diseases and women's ailments. The plant concoctions she prepared and the therapeutic methods she recommended were the more reliable the longer the line of women practicing medicine was in the family of a particular healer. Knowledge was passed down from generation to generation. Many people saved money and self-diagnosed themselves, making medicines according to oral traditions or medical papyri.

Among the diseases affecting Egyptian patients, there were several most common ailments. One of them, due to the fauna of the Nile Valley, were bites and bites from animals or insects. The basic action after a deadly encounter with a snake, scorpion or crocodile was... prayer. It was addressed to Horus or the goddess Serqet. Treatment was also based on surgical intervention using a knife to remove the venom. To reduce swelling, the wound was then covered with natron.

An even more common problem was indigestion. To make it go away, doctors recommended preparing four cookies with grated pig's tooth added. For the next four days, the patient was to eat one cookie at a time to feel better. Another mixture was used orally during diarrhea. It was made using figs, grapes, bread dough, corn, soil, onion and meringue.

Compresses were the most popular methods of treating various diseases. They worked well in the case of migraines that plagued many residents. The headache was supposed to be alleviated by a medicinal mixture of fruit, honey or coriander, which was placed on a cloth and then bandaged around the head. A compress made of barley bread, animal fat and salt also had analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. It was especially recommended for burnt areas.

Emergency accidents were also common in ancient Egypt. Open wounds were cleansed with wine and sewn up, and broken limbs were immobilized with wooden, tightly tied splints. In the case of extremely serious fractures, a special cast was made and left on the fracture until the bones healed. Residents were also affected by mental illnesses. However, these were "treated" primarily through spirituality, sleeping in the temple and making donations for it.

Moreover, there was probably no person who did not catch a cold at least once in their life. During the first symptoms of infection, a religious incantation was used: "Clear your clogged nose! Clear your nose, son of a stuffy nose. Clear yourselves, you who break bones, destroy skulls and cause disease in seven holes. Moreover, the medics did not refuse to include fever remedies in the patient's convalescence process, which were supposed to support the effects of prayer.

Although every treatment on the Nile was accompanied by prayers, in this case they were impossible because, as Charlotte Booth notes, "while there are many deities that help you get pregnant, there are none that prevent it." Birth control practiced by ancient Egyptians had various and, as we know today, ineffective forms. One of the methods of preventing another pregnancy in large families was to breastfeed the youngest offspring for as long as possible. It was a method popularized among poor inhabitants. Among the upper classes, however, it was almost a social obligation to employ wet nurses to feed children, but ladies from wealthier homes had other, much more peculiar options.

If women in ancient Egypt did not want to get pregnant, they used an absorbent pad placed in the vagina. This contraceptive was made from dried crocodile droppings. Fortunately, after drying, they became odorless. To increase comfort, honey was added to make the pad more flexible and better fit the shape of the body. An alternative was to place a cloth soaked in a mixture of finely grated acacia, carob, dates and honey in the vagina.

Moreover, a common principle of health care in ancient Egypt was hygiene. Literally anyone could do it - the poor refreshed themselves in the main stream of the Nile River (the water in the canals was sometimes stale). The wealthiest residents usually had baths and toilets with a makeshift shower. It consisted of a stone slab and a drain on which the master of the house stood while the servant constantly poured water on him.

For bathing, the Egyptians used soap, usually made of natural salt, ash and baking soda. Those who could afford real luxuries also introduced fragrance oils made from flowers (aromatic lilies or roses), plant oils, resins, milk and honey into their daily care. This was how skin was cared for, especially when it was exposed to irritation from dry air, full sun and ubiquitous sand.

Cleanliness, daily baths and taking care of their clothes not only protected the population against infections, but also provided comfort and pleasant sensations of smell, which the ancient Egyptians greatly appreciated. Making perfumes was a well-known practice. The fragrant plants were crushed and then an aromatic liquid was squeezed out of the resulting mass through a special fabric. Some perfumes did not lose their validity even for several dozen years, and among the most durable fragrances, lilac extract deserves special mention. On special occasions, the Egyptians also placed perfumed cones on their heads, clearly emphasizing their devotion to hygiene.

The medicine of the ancient Egyptians still arouses great interest not only because of its amusing methods of treatment, detection or prevention of pregnancy. Despite sometimes irrational solutions and the close connection of medical practice with the Egyptian belief system, today we know that it prepared the ground for the modern structure of public health. In ancient times, it enabled many people to enjoy a better quality of life and well-being, because although the average age of life in the Nile Valley was 19 years, some people managed to live to 30 or even 50 years.

Bibliography:

• C. Booth, "How to Survive in Ancient Egypt", transl. M. Miłkowski, Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, 2020.