Pharaonic Medicine for Medical Stde.pptx

Ancient Medics and its importance

1. Pharaonic Egypt and the pre-conquest New World Dr. Nida Rafaqat

2. Overview Ancient societies had no experience with many infectious diseases we know today We will look at: Health and medicine in Ancient Egypt (3100–525 BCE) Some information about Central and South America before 1492

3. Why Ancient Egypt Is Important Egypt gives us the oldest medical records in the world. Sources of information: Preserved bodies (mummies and burials) Medical writings on papyrus (old paper made from plants) Paintings and statues showing health conditions

4. Why So Much Was Preserved Most of Egypt is dry desert , which helps preserve things. Egyptians didn’t burn their dead – they buried them in dry sand or stone tombs. Mummification helped preserve the bodies of important people.

5. Egyptian Writing and Records Egyptians used hieroglyphics to write on papyrus. Many of these writings are about medical knowledge . Some writings are hard to understand today – meanings are guessed from context.

6. Herodotus – A Greek Visitor Herodotus visited Egypt around 450 BCE. Egypt was under Persian rule and had changed a lot. He wrote stories about Egyptian medicine: Claimed doctors had specialties like surgery and dentistry May have exaggerated or misunderstood some things

7. Ancient Egyptian Ideas About the Human Body Basic Beliefs About Health Egyptians believed people were born healthy . Illness came from outside forces : Spiritual (like curses or evil spirits) Material (like snake bites or bad air)

8. What They Thought About the Brain They believed the brain had no use . During mummification, they removed and threw away the brain . They didn’t think it mattered in the afterlife

9. Organs They Preserved Four organs were saved in special jars called Canopic jars : Liver Lungs Stomach Intestines The heart was left in the body. It was seen as the soul and most important organ.

10. Circulatory System Egyptians had no idea about blood circulation . They believed in imaginary channels called M-T-W . These channels carried out W-H-D-W (bad stuff or pollution) from the body. Disease came from pollution or spiritual invasion .

11. Beliefs About Reproduction Egyptians didn’t know about a woman’s egg . They knew sperm came from testicles . Sperm was seen as: Creative (linked to gods creating life) Dangerous (believed it could poison others)

12. Infectious Diseases in Ancient Egypt Before the Greeks came (332 BCE), Egypt had no major plagues . Diseases like: Plague Cholera Smallpox Malaria were likely not present in ancient Egypt.

13. Malaria and Smallpox No solid evidence of malaria before Greeks arrived. One mummy (Rameses V) might show signs of smallpox. But no written or artistic records of epidemics exist. Suggests no large outbreaks of deadly infectious diseases.

14. Final Thoughts Egyptians had unique beliefs about the body and illness. Much of their understanding was symbolic , not scientific. They preserved bodies well , giving us valuable clues. Their culture was very different from ours today

15. Formal Medicine in Ancient Egypt Key Medical Texts Important medical papyri (ancient scrolls): Edwin Smith (1550 BCE) Ebers (1500 BCE) Brooklyn (300 BCE) Chester Beatty VI (1200 BCE) These are copies of even older texts (up to 1,000 years earlier). Shows Egypt had the world’s first formal medical system .

16. Medical Practice in Ancient Egypt Doctors followed a set pattern : Ask questions. Diagnose illness. Give treatment or say the illness was hopeless. This method stayed the same for thousands of years .

17. Women in Medicine One known female doctor: Peseshet (around 2494–2181 BCE). After her, no female doctors until the Greek period (after 323 BCE). No Egyptian word for midwife — childbirth was handled by village women , helped by the goddess Heqet .

18. From Science to Magic Many believed medicine evolved from magic to science . But in Egypt, it seems to have gone the other way : Early medicine (Old Kingdom) was more practical . Later medicine focused more on rituals and tradition .

19. Training and Conservatism Many doctors trained as priests in temples. This made them resistant to new ideas . They believed ancient knowledge (like from pyramid builders) was best. So, old ideas were protected , not questioned.

20. Doctors in Pharaoh’s Palace Palace doctors were trusted not for healing skills, but for their knowledge of tradition . They used: Comforting food Rest (“stay in dock”) Religious rituals Real medical change only came much later , with modern drugs .

21. Surgery in Ancient Egypt Tomb of Qar (2300 BCE): Found 30 surgical tools (scalpels, tweezers). Suggests early surgery was tried. Likely abandoned because most patients died .

22. Greeks in Egypt After 332 BCE , Greeks controlled Egypt (led by Alexander the Great). Egyptian students were banned from Greek medical schools (like in Alexandria ). Greek doctors (e.g., Herophilus ) mocked Egyptian medicine .

23. Shocking Practices by Greeks Herophilus became famous for public dissections . He used live Egyptian prisoners for anatomy lessons. A reminder of how medicine and ethics have changed over time.

24. Summary Egypt had organized medicine early in history. Over time, it became more about tradition than science . Women were mostly excluded from formal medicine. Surgery existed but was not well-developed . Later, Greek influence brought big changes — not always good ones.

25. Egyptian Medicine in Daily Life What We Learned from the Dead Over 6,000 bodies were found near the Aswan Dam. Showed health issues and lack of advanced treatment. No evidence of successful dental care , despite ancient claims.

26. Common Dental Problems Bread contained grit and sand from grinding stones. Grit wore down teeth , exposed nerves, caused infections. Many Egyptians died from tooth infections . Sugar was rare , so tooth decay from sweets was uncommon — until the Persians came.

27. Honey as Medicine Used for healing wounds — helped prevent gangrene . Possibly reduced the need for amputations . Shows that Egyptians used natural remedies effectively.

28. Work Injuries & Life Expectancy Spine and neck injuries common in laborers (e.g., carrying heavy loads). Life expectancy (if survived first year): Men: 30–39 years Women: 5 years less Rameses II lived to 94, but most people didn’t live long.

29. Common Causes of Death Infected teeth Broken bones and spinal injuries Famine during low Nile floods Crocodile attacks , snake bites , and scorpion stings

30. Snake Bites and Magical Beliefs Snakebites seen as a spiritual curse . Magical cures: “Horus stelae” (stone carvings used with water). Over 20 types of snakes identified in Egyptian texts.

31. Waterborne Illnesses Diarrhea from dirty drinking water — main killer of babies and young children. Schistosomiasis : parasitic disease from swimming or working in Nile canals. Caused bloody urine , affected liver and kidneys . Found in some mummies , but no clear medical text describes it.

32. Real Medical Help Was Rare By the New Kingdom , medicine was mostly spiritual . Used prayers , rituals , and priests . Ordinary people had little access to real treatment.

33. Folk Beliefs and Household Gods People trusted family and local rituals , not formal doctors. Household gods like Bes were worshipped for protection. Most Egyptians were short and malnourished (under 5’2”).

34. Summary Ancient Egypt had some medical knowledge , but it was limited. Ordinary people faced: Injuries Infections Parasites Poor diet Most relied on folk cures and spiritual rituals .

35. Medicine in the Americas (Before European Contact ) What We Know We know less about American medicine than Egyptian medicine. Reason: Few written records survived. Most records were burned by Spanish conquerors (e.g., Maya books, Inca ropes). Only a few oral stories were saved by Spanish priests.

36. Sources of Information Spanish-written oral history (filtered by European ideas) Human remains and mummies Modern studies using "argument by analogy" (comparing to current native traditions)

37. Diseases in the Americas No Old World diseases (like smallpox, measles, malaria) Why? No close animal contact to transfer germs. Common health problems: Arthritis Skin infections (yaws, pinta , bejel ) Diarrhea & fevers from dirty water Tuberculosis (mild form) Possibly typhus in the Andes Pneumonia as a final illness

38. Aztec Beliefs about Illness Illness was connected to: Birth date Gods Cosmic balance Needed to please gods with human sacrifice Health was a mix of spiritual and physical care

39. Aztec Public Health Built aqueducts to bring clean water Regular bathing and use of perfumes Focused on clean smells and hygiene Equal to ancient Romans in city planning and health care

40. Lost Knowledge Much knowledge was destroyed by conquerors Spanish priests wrote history with European bias Native societies were not primitive , but highly developed

41. Conclusion Native American medicine was complex and spiritually connected They practiced: Preventive care (clean water, baths) Herbal medicine Spiritual healing Their knowledge was unfairly dismissed by history written by the winners