Summary
Ancient Egypt had some of the most respected doctors of the ancient world. Its physicians set broken bones, stitched wounds, treated eye disease and wrote down their knowledge in medical papyri that still survive. They mixed careful observation with prayers and spells, because illness was believed to have both natural and supernatural causes. Greek writers later praised Egyptian medicine, and kings abroad sent for Egyptian doctors.
Egypt's Doctors
A physician was called a swnw. Doctors trained in temple schools known as the “House of Life” and often specialised; the Greek historian Herodotus claimed each one treated a single disease, with doctors of the eyes, the head, the teeth and the belly. Among the earliest named healers is Hesy-Ra, an official of the 3rd Dynasty whose titles include “chief of dentists and physicians”. A woman called Peseshet, in the Old Kingdom, bore the title “overseer of women physicians”.
Priests of the lioness goddess Sekhmet were also healers, and the architect Imhotep was later worshipped as a god of medicine.
The Medical Papyri
- The Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus (about 1800 BC): the oldest known medical text, on women’s health, fertility and pregnancy.
- The Edwin Smith Papyrus (about 1600 BC, copied from older sources): a surgical manual of 48 cases of injuries, from head wounds to broken bones, each with an examination, a diagnosis and a verdict: “an ailment I will treat”, “an ailment I will contend with” or “an ailment not to be treated”. It contains the earliest known description of the brain.
- The Ebers Papyrus (about 1550 BC): about 20 metres long with some 700 remedies and spells, for everything from stomach pain and burns to crocodile bites, and a treatise on the heart and its vessels.
Remedies and Surgery
Egyptian doctors used hundreds of ingredients:
- Honey on wounds and burns: we now know it fights bacteria.
- Plants such as garlic, onions, coriander, cumin, and willow, whose bark contains salicin, the forerunner of aspirin.
- Minerals such as natron and malachite; the green and black eye paint also protected against eye infections.
- Animal products, some sensible and some, to modern eyes, alarming.
Surgeons set fractures with splints, closed wounds with stitches and bandages, and drained abscesses. The embalmers’ knowledge of the body, gained from mummification, did not always reach the doctors, but both professions knew a great deal of anatomy.
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For an Egyptian, a fever might be caused by a demon or an angry god as well as by a wound. A doctor therefore used both a remedy and a spell, and amulets such as the Eye of Horus, a symbol of healing, protected the patient. Protective gods like Taweret and Bes watched over childbirth, the most dangerous moment in a woman’s life.
Where to See Ancient Egyptian Medicine
At Kom Ombo Temple, between Luxor and Aswan, a Roman-period relief is often described as a set of surgical instruments, alongside scenes of childbirth. The Mummification Museum in Luxor shows the embalmers’ tools, and the healing god Imhotep had a temple on the island of Philae.
Ancient Egyptian Medicine: FAQ
Were ancient Egyptian doctors good?
For their time, very: they described injuries carefully, set bones, stitched wounds and used some remedies, like honey, that really work.
What is the oldest medical text?
The Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus, from about 1800 BC.
Who was the Egyptian god of healing?
Imhotep was worshipped as the god of medicine in later times; Sekhmet, Thoth and Isis were also called on for healing.
Did Egyptians perform surgery?
Yes: minor surgery, setting fractures, treating wounds and draining abscesses, as recorded in the Edwin Smith Papyrus.
Were there female doctors in ancient Egypt?
Yes. Peseshet, in the Old Kingdom, held the title “overseer of women physicians”.
