Egyptian Medicine by Carole Reeves.pdf

Egyptian Medicine

Carole Reeves

Cover illustration

Carpenters making a catafaIque. A workman is having his ann examined

(top right) whilst another screams as a hammer falls on to his foot (top left).

A further workman applies eye paint to a colleague's eyes (bottom lett).

Facsimile painting by Norman de Garis Davies

from the tomb ofIpuy, Deir el-Medina, Nineteenth Dynasty.

(Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 30.4./16.)

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 5

CHRONOLOGY 7

INTRODUCTION 9

HEALTH AND HYGIENE

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 21

British Library Calaloguing in Publication Data:

Reeves, Carole.

Egyptian Medicine. _

(Shire Egyptology Series; No. IS).

DISEASES AND DEFORMITIES

THE MEDICAL PAPYRI 49

Title.

II.

Series.

932.

ISBN 0- 7478-0]27-4.

DRUGS AND THE PRESCRIPTION 55

GLOSS ARY OF MEDICAL TERMS 63

Published in 200] by

SHIRE PUBLICATIONS LTD

Cromwell House, Church Street, Princes Risborough,

Buckinghamshire HP27 9AA. UK.

(Website: www.shirebooks.co.uk)

FURTHER READING 67

MUSEUMS 69

Series Editor: Barbara Adams.

INDEX 71

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,

including photocopy. recording. or any information storage

and retrieval system. without permission in writing

from the pnblishers.

Number 15 in the Shire Egyptology series.

ISBN 074780127 4.

First published 1992; reprinted 200 I.

Printed in Great Britain by

CIT Printing Services Ltd.

Press BUildings. Merlins Bridge, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire SA61 IXF.

Acknowledgements

List of illustrations

It is ~y'pri~ilege to extend acknowledgement to the many individuals

an~ msntutions who offered guidance, encouragement and practical

assistance during the production of this book. Long before it began,

however, I was drawn into ~n appreciation of the history of medicine by

John L. Thornton, former LIbrarIan to St Bartholomew's Hospital Medi-

~al ~oll~ge, wh?se e~tensive knowledge of medical history fired my

rmagrnanon. It IS to him that lowe an incalculable debt.

My thanks extend to the libraries, universities and museums who

have allowed me to use illustrations from their collections and to Barbara

Adams and Angela Thomas for their advice and criticism. Most of the

line drawings have been specially prepared by Helena Jaeschkc

(Archaeoptyx Archaeological Drawing Services) and I proudly acknow-

ledge her assistance.. David Burder took many of the splendid photo-

graphs which appear III the book. Acknowledgement is made to W. J.

Murnane and Penguin Books Limited for permission to reproduce the

chronology.

1. The effects of famine, Fifth Dynasty page 10

2. The workmen's village, Deir el-Medina, New Kingdom page 13

3. A man vomiting at a banquet, Eighteenth Dynasty page 14

4. Severe dental attrition, Twenty-first or Twenty-second Dynasty page 16

Glazed terracotta vase probably used to hold human milk page 19

Hieroglyphs meaning 'to give birth' page 19

Women seated on birthing stools, Korn ambo, Roman Penod page 20

8. Hieroglyphic word for sinw 0: :physician' page ~2. .

9. Statue of Imhotep, chief physician to Pharaoh Djoser, Third Intcnncdiate

Period page 22

10. Wood relief of Hesire, a chief of physicians and dentist, Third Dynasty

page 23

11. Limestone stele of Iry, a chief of court physicians, Fourth Dynasty page 23

12. Reconstruction of the temple at Edfu, Greek Period page 24

13. A sick man bringing gifts to the god Horus, Third Intermediate Period page 25

14. Hieroglyphs representing external and internal parts of the ~ody page 26

15. Wall relief of surgical instruments, Kom ambo, Roman Penod page 27

16. Words using the 'outpouring' hieroglyph determinatives page 27

17. Hieroglyphic words for 'sweat', 'inflammation', 'nutter', 'weep' and

'honey' page 28

18. Hieroglyphic words for diseases caused by injury, breathlessness and a

fracture or dislocated bone page 28

19. Wall relief depicting a circumcision scene, Sixth Dy~astypage 29

20. Nebamun giving a remedy to a prince of Mesopotamia, EIghteenth Dynasty

page 30 . .,

21. Wooden figurine depicting kyphosis as well as a chest deformity, FIfth

Dynasty page 32

22.

Statuette depicting Pott's disease, Predynastic page 32

23.

Five fishermen with evidence of schistosomiasis, Sixth Dynasty page 34

24.

A potter with gross genital hypertrophy, Sixth Dynasty page 35

25.

Wall relief showing the pendulous breasts of old age, Twelfth Dynasty

p~e~

26.

X-ray showing calcification of the femoral artenes page 36

27.

Neferhotep, a grossly obese harpist, Middle Kingdom page 37

28.

X-ray showing gall-stones in the gall bladder page 38

29.

The Queen of Punt, Eighteenth Dynasty page 38

30.

Cavitation of left maxilla in multiple basal-cell naevus syndrome page 39

31.

Dentigerous cyst cavity in multiple basal-cell naevus syndrome page 39

32.

Bifid ribs in multiple basal-cell naevus syndrome page 39

33.

A servant carrying a water jar, Eighteenth Dynasty page 40

34.

X -ray showing degenerative changes of the spine page 41

35.

Osteochondroma of the femur, Fifth Dynasty page 42

36.

Wall relief of a blind harpist, Eighteenth Dynasty page 42

37.

Hieroglyphic word for an eye disease page 42

38.

The achondroplasic dwarf Djehor, Late Period page 43

39.

Alabaster boat with an achondroplasie dwarf at the helm, Eighteenth

Dynasty page 43

Egyptian Medicine

Chronology

From W. J. Murnane, The Penguin Guide to Ancient Egypt, 1983, and including

names of those rulers mentioned in the text.

40. The dwarf Seneb with his wife and children, Sixth Dynasty page 44

41. Limestone statue of a Bes-god depicted as a dwarf, Graeco-Roman Period

page 45

42 The doorkeeper Ruma, portraying the typical appearance of poliomyelitis,

Eighteenth Dynasty page 45

43. Statue of Akhenaten revealing his effeminate physique, Eighteenth Dynasty

page 46

44. Statue of Tuthmosis IV revealing pronounced gynaecomastia, Eighteenth

Dynasty page 46

45. Stele of Amenophis III revealing gynaecomastia and effeminate atrir«,

Eighteenth Dynasty page 46

46. Statuette of Tutankhamun showing his gynaecoruaxtia, Eighteenth Dynasty

page 47

47. The infant Tutunkhamun emerging from a lotus flower, Eighteenth Dynasty

page 48

48. X-ray of a mummified foetus from the tomb of Tutankhamun, Eighteenth

Dynasty page 48

49. A page from the Ebers Papyrus, New Kingdom page 51

50. Four bronze knives from Gurob, Eighteenth to Nineteenth Dynasties page 50

51. The four hieroglyphs which represent the word 'knife' page 51

52. Column Xl of the Edwin Smith Papyrus, Second Intermediate Period but

copied from an Old Kingdom text page 51

53. Kahun Medical Papyrus, Twelfth Dynasty page 52

54. Tutankhamun's mandrake and poppy bracelet, Eighteenth Dynasty page 50

55. Princess Meretaten offering a mandrake plant to Srnenkhkarc, Eighteenth

Dynasty page 56

56. I .adies at a banquet, Eighteenth Dynasty page 56

57. Seti I offering incense to Osiris, Nineteenth Dynasty page 57

58. Hieroglyphic determinatives meaning mineral, plant and herb page 57

59. Pottery juglets from Cyprus, used to carry opium, Eighteenth Dynasty page

60. Painted wall relief of an ibis, Fifth Dynasty page 60

61.

Fayum A

Neolithic Period

before 5000 BC

c.5000 - 3300 BC

Predynastic

Period

c.3300 - 3050 BC

Protodynastic

Period

Early Dynastic

Period

3050 - 2613 Be

3050 - 2890 Dynasty I

Horus Aha (Athothis)

Horus Djer

2890 - 2682 Dynasty II

2686 - 2613 Dynasty III

2668 - 2649 Djoser

2613 - 2181 BC

Old Kingdom

2613 - 2498 Dynasty IV

2589 - 2566 Khufu

2558 - 2532 Khaefre

2532 - 2504 Mycerinus

2498 - 2345 Dynasty V

2491 - 2477 Sahure

2375 - 2345 Unas

2345 - 2181 Dynasty VI

2278 - 2184 Pepi II

A pharmacist's carrying case, Eleventh Dynasty page 61

62.

The eye of Horus and the hieroglyphs for the fractions of the prescription

page 61

2181 - 2040 BC

First

Intermediate

Period

2181 - 2040 Dynasties VII-X

2134 - 2060 Dynasty XI (Theban)

63.

Map of ancient Egypt page 62

Middle Kingdom 2040 - 1782 BC

2060 - 1991 Dynasty XI

1991 - 1782 Dynasty XII

1897 - 1878 Sesostris II

1782 - 1570 BC

Second

Intermediate

Period

1782 - 1650 Dynasties XIII and XIV

(Egyptian)

1663 - 1555 Dynasties XV and XVI

(Hyksos)

1663 - 1570 Dynasty XVII (Theban)

Egyptian Medicine

New Kingdom

1570 - 1070 BC

Introduction

1570 - 1293

1518 -1504

1504 - 1450

1498 - 1483

1453 - 1419

1419 - 1386

1386 - 1349

1350 -1334

1336 - 1334

1334 - 1325

1293 - 1185

1293 - 1291

/29/ - /278

/279 - 1212

12/2 - 1202

Jl93 - 1187

1185 - 1070

Jl85 - 1/82

1182 - 1/51

]]45 - 1141

Dynasty XVIII

Tuthmosis II

Tuthmosis IJ1

Hatshepsut

Amenophis II

Tuthmosis IV

Amenophis III

Amenophis IV (Akhena1en)

Srnenkhkare

Tutallkhamun

Dynasty XIX

Ramesses I

Seti I

Ramesses II

Merneptah

Siptah

Dynasty XX

Sethnakhte

Ramesses III

Ramesses V

Research into the medicine and diseases of ancient Egypt involves the

study of many aspects of its civilisation. The study of literary sources

and artistic representations in painting and sculpture, as well as the

examination of skeletal remains and mummies, has yielded a wealth of

material. In addition, the wider interaction between ancient disease and

the contemporary environment involves the studies of architecture and

town planning, clothing, nutrition, agriculture and animal husbandry,

commerce and travel.

Medicine is both an art and a science. The art of restoring and

preserving health is as old as life itself but the science of discovering

and analysing the process of disease is little more than a century old and

could not have been accomplished without parallel advances in tech-

nology. Modern medicine is greatly assisted by diagnostic techniques

such as radiography, computed tomography, electron and light

microscopy, serology and endoscopy, all of which have been applied to

ancient Egyptian remains. It is now possible not only to blood-group

mummies but to extract DNA by molecular cloning, to analyse trace

elements in teeth by atomic absorption spectrometry, to measure metal

levels in bone by X-ray fluorescence and to computerise all these de-

tails into the International Mummy Data Base held at the Manchester

Museum.

The application of modern techniques to the study of Egyptian re-

mains has enabled new diagnoses to be made and, in some cases, the

old ones to be redefined. During the 1960s, for example, extensive

radiological examination of a series of mummies revealed skeletal

evidence of a very rare inherited disease called alkaptonuria, which

deposits a characteristic black pigment into the spine. This pigment

was seen in almost a quarter of the mummies X-rayed, although in

modern society alkaptonuria occurs in only one person in five million.

Expert papers were written which offered explanations for this remark-

ably high frequency of alkaptonuria in ancient Egypt. Twenty years

later, a new technique called nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

demonstrated a molecular similarity between the black spinal pigment

and juniper resin - an embalmer's material.

This book is not simply a history of Egyptian medicine. It is an

attempt to present an overview of health and disease in ancient Egypt

and to outline important developments in the practice of medicine.

Hypothetical or unsubstantiated data have not been included but evi-

dence from modern scientific research has been quoted where this re-

Third

Intermediate

Period

1070 - 713 DC

1070 - 945

945-712

828-712

724 - 713

Dynasty XXI

Dynasty XXII

Dynasty XXIII

Dynasty XXIV

Late Period

713 - 332 BC

713 - 656

664 - 525

570 - 526

525 - 404

525 - 522

521-486

404 - 399

399 - 380

380 - 343

Dynasty XXV (Nubian)

Dynasty XXVI

Ahniose II

Dynasty XXVIl (Persian)

Camhyses

Darius I

Dynasty XXVIII

Dynasty XXIX

Dynasty XXX

(Egyptian/Persian)

G raeco-Roman

Period

332 DC - AD 395

332 - 30

205 - 180

51 - 30

30 - AD 395

Ptolernies

Ptolemy V

Cleopatra Vll

Roman Emperors

Byzantine Period AD 323 - 642

Islamic Period

AD 642 - 1517

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