Comprehensive Study Guide: Medicine in Ancient Egypt

Reputation for Medical Knowledge: The ancient Egyptians possessed a widespread and significant reputation for their advanced medical understanding.
Expert Testimony: Warren R. Dawson ( $1924$ ) stated: ‘There is no doubt that ancient Egyptians were a highly gifted people with a great capacity for practical achievement.’
Physician Specialization: Egypt saw a high volume of physicians due to their specialized nature; doctors typically focused on the treatment of one specific disease rather than practicing general medicine.

Antenatal Care: The first specialized hospitals dedicated to antenatal care were established in Egypt approximately $4000$ years ago.
Postpartum Isolation (The Mameze): * A dedicated room called the Mameze was utilized for maternal care. * Location: Built either in the house garden or on the upper story of a dwelling. * Function: Used to isolate the mother for a period of $2$ weeks after giving birth.
Breast Diseases: * In Egyptian medical practice, breast diseases were categorized within the gynecological section. * Diagnostic Metaphor for Breast Swelling: Shafik ( $1998$ ) recounts an ancient instruction: ‘If you examine a breast swelling with the flat of the hand and you feel it like an unripe pear, tell the relatives of the patient: this is a disease for which I cannot do anything. It is humanitarian to tell the relative, not the patient.’

Anesthesia: Ancient Egyptians were known to practice topical anesthesia.
Suturing: Healers used materials manufactured from catgut to suture wounds.
Infection Control: * Fermented Bread Pulp: If a wound became infected, healers would place fermented pulp of bread inside the wound. This functioned similarly to the modern antibiotic penicillin. * Honey: Honey was used as a topical treatment to kill bacteria through its hygroscopic power (the ability to draw moisture out of the environment and bacterial cells).
Literary References: These practices are noted in resources such as Farqharsson’s Operative Surgery.

Terminology: The ancient Egyptian term for rheumatic diseases was Stet.
Rheumatic Diagnosis: Smith ( $1908$ ) documented the prevalence of rheumatic diseases among the ancient Egyptian population. * Diagnostic Criteria: ‘If you examine a patient suffering from pain in his neck and who cannot look at his tummy because of this pain, say: this patient has Stet at his neck.’ * Treatment: The prescribed treatment involved smoothing the neck area with saffron.
Traumatology and Fractures: * Closed Fractures: The Egyptians provided descriptions of simple closed fractures (fractures without an accompanying open wound). * Crepitation: Physicians used the detection of crepitation (the grating sound or sensation produced by friction between bone fragments) as a diagnostic technique to differentiate between a sprain and a fracture. * Skull Perforation: Evidence of skull perforation is classically observed in the mummy of the Great Pharaoh Seqenenra.
Cervical Clinical Picture: A specific description for spinal injury or degradation was: ‘You find the upper vertebra is sunken into the lower one, the same as if your foot is immersed in clay.’

Splinting Materials: Egyptian physicians utilized several materials for stabilizing bones (Smith, $1908$ ): * Wooden splints padded with linen. * Clay. * Egg white, which was also used as a material for splints.
Joint Dislocations: The Egyptians successfully identified and described various joint dislocations, specifically mentioning the mandible (jaw) and the shoulder.

Renown: Ancient Egyptian physicians were internationally famous for their skill in treating ophthalmological issues.
Night Blindness: * This condition was treated using the liver of an ox. * Modern science confirms that night blindness is caused by a deficiency in Vitamin A, and liver is a rich source of this vitamin. * The Ebers Papyrus specifically suggests ox liver as the primary treatment for blindness.
Topical Eye Treatments: * Ointments/Collyria: Used for direct application to the eye. * Eye Droppers: Constructed from goose feathers. * Honey: Utilized as a topical agent in eye care.

Historical Figures: Hesy-Ra is recognized as the chief of dentists and doctors during the $3^{rd}$ Dynasty (circa $3686–2613$ BC). He is the first recorded doctor and dentist in history.
General Dental Health: * Most mature adult teeth from early periods show significant abrasion of hard tissues. * Dental Caries (Cavities): There was a lack of caries due to the absence of sugar in the diet.
Dental Fillings: When caries did occur, holes were filled with a mixture of copper sulphate, gum, and honey (Elseesy, $1999$ ).
Extraction Policy: According to Leek ( $1979$ ), there was a policy not to remove a tooth unless the case was entirely hopeless.
Reconstructive Techniques: Physicians would use the cavity of a recently extracted tooth, or prepare a cavity in the jawbone, to place a healthy tooth inside. This tooth was then fixed to an adjacent healthy tooth using a fine gold wire.
Medicinal Remedies: Five specific remedies were known for fixing or strengthening teeth. These included: * Copper sulphate (used for infections). * Scrapings from a millstone. * Malachite. * Honey.