Healing art of Pharaohs

Near the massive burial complex of Abusimbel (in southern Egypt), British archaeologists stumbled upon a small tomb in which three mummies were dried. Each mummy is about 4,500 years old, in the skull there are large gold leaves, placed when they are alive. This is one of the proofs of the amazing achievements of ancient Egyptian medicine.

As early as 1862, Egyptologist Advin Smit bought in Lucssor parts of a book with very old papyrus, depicting very elaborate prescriptions 5,000 years ago. At that time, Egyptian healers had not only operated on the skull to cut the tumor, but also knew how to perform other surgical procedures such as appendectomy, amputation and replacement with prostheses. Traces of such intervention are still stored on many mummies.

These large surgeries may even be carried out sooner, but only thrive since the priestly era of Ra is Imhotep. In 2630 BC, after receiving the position of General Secretary, Imhotep announced that the gods had given him healing techniques, and opened a training school for male and female physicians.

Imhotep Priest (Photo: Geocities)

The first skull operations were performed by the priest himself. For anesthesia, Imhotep brought the patient into a state of enlightenment by reading prayers, then giving them a drink of sleeping pills made from a narcotic herb, causing them to lose all feeling. He uses gold to prevent blood infection because this metal has antiseptic properties. So there are yellow leaves in the mummy's skull.

Today, it seems that we cannot live without aspirin, electrocardiography, X-rays. But the ancient Egyptian doctors knew how to treat without the means of support. Headache is cured by taking a hot bath from some flowers and massage methods. Arrhythmias are defined by blind girls with very sensitive hearing. Musicians have sensitive fingers recruited as X-ray machines "to touch the fracture and identify the lesions.

The secret of extending life

After Imhotep's death, Pharaoh Sneferu ordered the doctors to find ways to extend the life of the people, because the king wanted to collect more taxes to fill his treasury. The longevity prescriptions are quite special. For example, ancient Egyptian physicians recommend flushing water three times a day (morning, afternoon, afternoon) and scrape off all hairs on the body (especially in the armpits), except hair that grows on the head, to prevent the types of bacteria invading the body.

In addition, the yogis firmly advised the king not to eat fat pork, especially not to eat raw fish because "it causes heat in the five organs and causes the poor heart to shatter to pieces".

Strictly abiding by the physician's advice, pharaoh Pepi II bathed three times a day, even with the flu, and he was 94 years old. In fact, Pepi also acknowledged that a special diet helped him live long. The king only ate meat once a month, mainly broiler.

At the end of the reign years (2184 BC), this long-life king organized a hospital-style royal practice model and recruited good doctors from many specialties. Even in Egypt at that time there existed a strange medical title, "rectum house", with the original name "anal care".

Royal healers recommend lightening the abdomen by drinking a mixture of cow's milk, cereals and honey; Avoid breast cancer by wearing gold jewelry because "gold is capable of eradicating tumors right from the egg".

Ancient Egyptian dentists and dentists are considered to be the richest. Eye infections are treated in a very unique way: "Take half of the human brain and bring a part mixed with honey and apply it to the eyes in the early morning, the rest is dried and also applied to the eyes. in the evening " - the handbook found by Ebers scientist instructed that.

"Fresh garlic is widely used," said an official from the Egyptian Museum Ibrahim Hussein, an effective cold medicine prescription that is still popular today: Eating garlic mixed with honey The ancient Egyptian people believed that the cold demon was very afraid of garlic and would scoot right away when it smelled of garlic.

Go to the top then die

Under the rule of the pharaohs of the nineteenth dynasty (from 1295 to 1186 BC), the achievements of ancient Egyptian medicine reached its peak. While in Europe, the Roman city was not built yet, in Egypt, according to Louis Magmer - author of the History of Medicine -, people have enjoyed modern benefits such as health insurance and even even . the certificate lost labor.

So why does the famous medical background suddenly disappear and pull back the treatments? According to Professor Abdul - Valrid al Masri, Egypt was considered "a nursing home" of the ancient world, an ideal nursing area. When the Persian king Kir II's son fell ill, the king requested that an Egyptian physician be sent immediately, but the pharaoh refused because the relationship between the two men was very tense. Prince, ie King Cambiz II in the future, does not forget that grudge.

In 525 BC, when taking over the Egyptian capital, then Memphis, the Persian king ordered the killing of all the doctors and burning the hospital. Egyptian medicine, which had been built for thousands of years, was cleared after only one day. It was not until the 20th century that the great medical achievements of ancient Egypt were known through the discovery of some ancient documents.