Ancient Egyptian Medicine

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was a society that lived in Egypt, near the River Nile. The River Nile is surrounded by fertile lands and the river also supplied water for the people living in Ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egypt

Egypt was positioned on strategic trade routes. Merchants imported (traded) foods, herbs and plants with other societies.
Trade, combined with fertile local land, meant that there was a plentiful supply of food.
- This meant that some people could do jobs that weren’t in farming.

Channels in the body

The River Nile flowed in streams and water from the Nile was used for irrigation (watering plants and crops).
- This led to the analogy that the body had channels that flowed like the River Nile or irrigation systems.
If a person became ill, it was believed to be because the channels in their body were damaged or blocked.

Ancient Egyptian treatment

So, when people were ill, purging (physically removing something from the body), being sick (vomiting) and blood-letting (taking blood) could all unblock the body’s channels.
Ancient Egyptian society seems to have been very clean. They had toilets, good water supplies and washed their clothes and bodies frequently.

Supernatural beliefs

Ancient Egyptians believed in lots of different Gods (they were polytheistic).
Ancient Egyptians believed that the Gods they worshipped could control, create and cure diseases.
Ancient Egyptian priests kept record of how to treat different illnesses and diseases.

The afterlife

Because Ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife, bodies were mummified because people needed their bodies for the afterlife.
Lots of organs (like the brain) were removed in mummification and this helped the Ancient Egyptians to understand the human anatomy (body).
- But dissection (cutting up a body) was not allowed because people believed this would be damaging in the afterlife.

Was There Progress in Ancient Egyptian Medicine?

Ancient Egyptian society seems to have been very clean. Over time, there were some progressions but some things stayed the same.

Progress - Egyptian medicine

The Ancient Egyptians appear to be the first society that used metal instruments for surgery and organs were removed before mummification.
Plants, foods and herbs were taken by the Ancient Egyptians as medicine. Egypt’s location on trading routes helped to make this possible.

Progress - Doctors

Doctors used the River Nile and channels in the body as an analogy for understanding the human anatomy.
Some people were specialist doctors.
- This was possible because living standards in Ancient Egypt were relatively high and there was lots of food.
- This meant that everyone did not have to farm or scavenge for food and could do other jobs.

Continuities in Egyptian medicine

The Ancient Egyptians were very superstitious. Sekhmet was an Ancient Egyptian goddess associated with healing and medicine. Serket was a goddess that healed stings and bites (from insects etc.) and Isis was a goddess of magic and healing.
People did not know what caused diseases in Ancient Egypt and a lot of doctors’ work focused on “unblocking channels” rather than stopping people getting ill.

1Medicine Stands Still

1.1Ancient Egyptian Approaches to Medicine

1.1.1Ancient Egyptian Medicine

1.2Ancient Greek Medicine

1.2.1Hippocrates

1.2.2Galen & Ancient Rome

1.2.3End of Topic Test - Ideas About Disease

1.3Medieval Medicine

1.3.1The Fall of Rome

1.3.2The Medieval 'Doctor'

1.4Religion & Medicine

1.4.1Christianity & Medicine

1.4.2Islam & Medicine

1.4.3Medieval Surgery

1.5Public Health in the Middle Ages

1.5.1Towns & Monasteries

1.5.2The Black Death

1.5.3End of Topic Test - Medieval Medicine

1.5.4Grade 9 Medieval Medicine

2The Beginnings of Change

2.1The Impact of the Renaissance on Britain

2.1.1The Renaissance & Vesalius

2.1.2Paré & Harvey

2.1.3Institutions & Technology in the Renaissance

2.2Treating Illnesses in the Renaissance

2.2.1The Great Plague

2.2.2Physicians, Surgeons & Hospitals

2.2.3End of Topic Test - The Beginnings of Change

2.2.4Grade 9 - The Beginnings of Change

2.2.5Exam-Style Questions - Source Utility

2.3Prevention of Disease

2.3.1Vaccination & the Spread of Disease

2.3.2Was There Progress in Renaissance Medicine?

2.3.3Exam-Style Questions - Societal Attitudes

3A Revolution in Medicine

3.1The Development of Germ Theory & its Impact

3.1.1Germ Theory, Pasteur & Koch

3.1.2Magic Bullets & the Impact of Germ Theory

3.2A Revolution in Surgery

3.2.1Anaesthetics & Antiseptics

3.3Improvements in Public Health

3.3.1Public Health & Cholera

3.3.2C19 Improvements in Public Health

3.3.3End of Topic Test - Revolution in Medicine

3.3.4Grade 9 - Revolution in Medicine

4Modern Medicine

4.1Modern Treatment of Disease

4.1.1WW1, Pharmaceuticals & Penicillin

4.1.2Exam-Style Questions - Penicillin

4.1.3The Impact of War on Medicine

4.2New Diseases & Treatments in the 20th Century

4.2.120th Century Diseases & Treatments

4.2.2Alternative Treatments & Transplants

4.3Modern Public Health

4.3.1Booth, Rowntree & the Liberals

4.3.2The Welfare State

4.3.3The NHS

4.3.4End of Topic Test - New Diseases & Treatments

4.3.5Grade 9 - Modern Medicine

5Themes in Public Health

5.1Themes in Public Health over the Period

5.1.1War

5.1.2Exam-Style Questions - War

5.1.3Religion & Superstition

5.1.4Chance

5.1.5Government

5.1.6Communication

5.1.7Science & Technology

5.1.8Role of Individuals

5.1.9End of Topic Test - Themes in Public Health

5.1.10Grade 9 - Themes in Public Health

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