Egyptian Medicine

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So that you know: I was most worried with my court, because the Nile did not come in seven years and the entire country was in great need. Then

I turned my heart to the front; and I asked the wise Imhotep for advice, where the birthplace of the Nile is found and who would be the god that

lived there. Upon this Imhotep answered, "I have to go to the house of books and look up in the holy books." He returned soon and revealed

wonders to me, to which no king has ever been shown the way since the beginning of time... Inscription of the "Stele of Famine with the Edict of

Djoser to the prince of Elephantine" (2780 BC) 1 The Nile river is known almost universally by historians as the cradle of medicine because it

passes through the great region of Egypt. Egypt greatly contributed to the western civilization.

Their knowledge was far superior to any previous

civilization, and many civilizations to come. One of their greatest achievements was in the field of medicine because they replaced myth with

medical fact, this laid the foundations for modern medical practice. They discovered the cause of various illnesses and developed a cure. They

practised both medical and spiritual healing so the worlds of religion and science could coexist. With the discoveries of several papyrus', we are

learning more and more about their knowledge of the human anatomy. The literature discovered by archaeologists dates back to over 7000 years

ago. In the early Egyptian times, medicine was practised most often by priests, not doctors or physicians. There were three main types of early

healers, the priest physician, lay physician, and the magician-physician. The priest physicians were ranked highest among physicians because they

practised a combination of clinical...