The medical miracles of the “Ancient Egyptians”.. Wheat for the type of fetus and lettuce for the treatment of impotence, birth chair
History recorded many medical miracles of the pharaohs and their progress in various sciences. Despite the scientific and technological progress that the modern world has reached, it is still unable to explain many of the secrets of the ancient Egyptians, their knowledge and miracles, and these secrets are still of interest and research by Western scientists.
The ancient Egyptian was distinguished by research and knowledge in the medical field, and he knew many diseases and ways to treat and prevent them. The pharaohs doctors wrote down their observations about the disease scientifically, and this was recorded on the walls of temples and papyrus. The ancient Egyptian considered that the doctor Amhotep, the minister of King Zoser (god Healing), believed that he was the writer of the papyrus (Edwin Smith), which is considered the oldest medical manuscript that included many diseases and ways of treating them.
Edwin Smith Papyrus
The most famous papyri revealed the achievements of the pharaohs in the field of medicine. This papyrus is the most famous in medicine for the Pharaohs. It was named after the American antique dealer Edwin Smith. This papyrus is now in the holdings of the Academy of Sciences in New York. It was translated by James Henry in 1930 after the merchant’s daughter gave it to Smith after his death to the New York History Society. It dated back to 1600 BC and specialized in medical surgeries such as head, neck, shoulders, chest and breast, and various fractures in the body. This wilderness, which extends to 5 meters, describes dealing with 48 multiple surgical cases.
The rest of the papyrus was not found, as it was found incomplete, and archaeologists likely that it was completing the rest of the surgeries for body parts.
papyrus cahon (theology)
It dates back to the reign of King Amenemhat III in 1825 BC, and this papyrus consists of three pages; this papyrus specializes in diagnosing obstetrics and gynaecology, determining the gender of the fetus and medical ointments for women, in addition to treating toothache.
Ebers Papyrus
Named after the Egyptologist George Ebers, who translated it in 1875, this papyrus is one of the oldest medical papyri, dating back to 3000 BC. The length of this papyrus is 20 meters, and its width is approximately 30 centimetres; this papyrus mentioned nearly 400 medicines and 877 methods of Medical treatment for diseases such as eyes, women, surgeries, anatomy, internal medicine and skin.
In addition to other papyri that focused on the medical field, they are less important than the previous papyri, in addition to the fact that large parts of them were lost when they were found, such as the Chesterpenny Papyrus, Leiden, Ramesseum, Hurst and Medical Berlin, which contains a lengthy explanation of the heart and vessels and most of the plants and animal drugs.
Obstetrics and Gynecology
A papyrus was found in the Braine Museum. It dates back to 1350 BC. This papyrus explained how to know the gender of the fetus by urinating a few grains of barley and Wheat in two bowls. The gender of the fetus is a girl, but if one of them does not sprout, the pregnancy is false.
There is another method practised by the ancient Egyptians to determine whether a woman was pregnant or not or whether she was sterile. The drink means that she did not get pregnant, but she would become pregnant if she vomited.
birthing chair
The ancient Egyptian knew a chair for a woman to sit on to give birth, as the holdings of the Egyptian Museum contain an artefact on which a chair is carved. A woman sits on it and puts her hand on her legs (squatting) and shows signs of birth on her face, and next to her is the god Hathor, one of the most important deities of the ancient Egyptians, and on her left and right Next to it is a phrase known as “to give birth.” The surprising thing is that archaeologists and medicine in the West praised this situation in facilitating the birth process. The West recently invented a birthing device similar to the birthing chair in the Egyptian Museum.
Infertility treatment
No one forgets that modern science, with all its capabilities and modern devices, can still reveal many of the Pharaonic miracles in various fields. There is Tel Al Fara’in, which is currently located in the Kafr El Sheikh area, to which women have been heading since the era of the Pharaohs until our time. To request procreation, the hill consists of 4 groundwater springs, the woman who desires to have children bathes (with jerking) of water. A story is rumoured in the Delta region that this water contains a magic recipe for treating infertility. This water was used in the Pharaonic era for purification before entering the temple of the god Horus, who The ancient Egyptian came to him to offer offerings and blessings.
dentist
The pharaohs excelled in dentistry, and the historian Herodotus mentioned different names and degrees of dentists as it is now known. Teeth (menu ankh). And also, Neferirtis, who was an assistant to the doctor (Sebashat Hetep), is surprising that the pharaohs came to use advanced techniques to treat teeth and caries problems. They also knew the methods of filling by using a piece of linen treated with rice oil or fig juice and then placing it in the place of the cavity to be filled.
The dentistry achievements at the Pharaohs were discovered through a recent study at the Canadian University of Ontario, which they conducted on a mummy dating back to approximately 2100 BC. The study discovered the ancient Egyptians’ advanced medical materials in this speciality, and skulls were found in them. Traces of extraction. It was said that the treating doctor tied the molar or tooth with decay with a strong thread and then pulled and removed it forcefully, in addition to finding traces of “abscesses” inside the bones. The jaw and it was said that its treatment was done by cauterization with fire through a stick of iron. As for the treatment of gums and toothache, the treating doctor advised cutting the body of a mouse and placing it in the place of pain, believing that mice are protected by the sun, and perhaps this method is a means of anaesthesia. Not to mention dental implants, where it was observed that there was a golden wire connecting two years in the jaw of one of the mummies.
He was a doctor (Heisei Re) in 2600 BC, the first healer in this field, and he was identified in his tomb as a dentist.
Discovery of anaesthesia and anaesthesia in surgical operations
As usual, the ancient Egyptian preceded others in anaesthesia, and they did this through simple primitive materials; it was a mixture of marble powder added to it vinegar. The doctor performed operations such as emptying the abscesses or otherwise, mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus. This was done using machines Surgical procedures found in Pharaonic tombs such as scalpels and crooked machines, as well as threads and peat in the operations of suturing wounds. Archaeologists have suggested that the anaesthesia operations should be on the area to be operated on only. Because it was observed on the walls of the temples that the eyes of the patient opened during an operation or surgery in His body, which means that they discovered local anaesthesia, and the Professor of Oncology at Cairo University, the former Dean of the National Cancer Institute and the former Minister of Higher Education, Dr Hussein Khaled, explained that the Pharaohs were the first to use surgical instruments in the treatment of some tumours, such as breast cancer, which the Pharaohs also knew and were able to differentiate between Benign and malignant tumours, or if the disease is not treatable. One of the methods of treatment for the Pharaohs was using moxibustion. They also concluded that this disease is not treatable. The Egyptian chemist, Dr Mohamed El-Far, also blew a surprise about the ancient Egyptians or the Pharaohs, as studies proved that they were the first to use the photodynamic method for some skin diseases and relied on the sun upon it, stressing that it was a photodynamic treatment for tumours and cancer.
mummification
The doctrine of resurrection and immortality that dominated the ancient Egyptian made him invent the art of mummification to preserve the body of the dead after the soul returns to it again. That when he wakes up, he finds his body as it is. His tools and requirements are available, so the ancient Egyptians had to master the dissection of corpses in addition to inventing medical tools used in the mummification process, which remained and will remain a secret of the pharaohs, despite the efforts of scientists to discover the secrets of the mummification process, but the mystery still clouds them.
The mummification process was carried out in several stages. In each stage, we discover the ancient Egyptian creativity in the sciences of medicine and anatomy, so the pharaohs knew about the presence of soft bodies inside the body that help in the process of rotting the body after death, which made him extract the brain from the skull by suction through the nose using a chisel and hammer to cut Through the nasal wall and then the brain is pulled through the nostril with a heated hook, in addition to extracting the entrails completely from the body, except for the heart, as they believe that it is the only one who will be held accountable or (will play a role during the trial). Natron salt and perfumed linen wrap and their role in drying the body parts permanently from the water to prevent the accumulation of bacteria and germs that help the rotting process. Beeswax was used to close the nose, eyes and mouth. Circumstances.
cupping
The Pharaohs also addressed cupping, a prophetic treatment mentioned in several prophetic hadiths. It is considered a way to rid the body of blood impurities by removing the blood trapped in the diseased area. It also increases blood circulation in the body and strengthens the immune system to get rid of toxins inside the body.
It seems that all this was not overlooked by the ancient Egyptians, as drawings were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun, indicating their use of them in the treatment of some diseases. It seems that they used it at first through metal cups, ox horns and bamboo trees, and they emptied it from the air after placing it on the skin by sucking the air inside the cup.
Diabetes Diagnosis and Treatment
The Ebers Papyrus described the symptoms of a person with diabetes that the patient suffers from extreme thirst and frequent urination.
It came in recipes No. 5 and No. 197 of the Ebers Papyrus, which treats and diagnoses many diseases that the ancient Egyptian knew diabetes by diagnosing it in the following way: His body is like honey, so it was said that he suffers from internal decomposition, meaning he (diabetic patient).
And his treatment is through its composition of iron ore, linseed and bitter melon – he takes it every morning for four days until he quenches his thirst and gets rid of internal decomposition.
It is worth noting that body atrophy, thirst, and honey are the main symptoms of diabetics.
And honey is a reference to diabetes. In all ancient medical manuscripts that came even after the civilization of ancient Egypt, honey is a reference to diabetes, and the current Latin name also bears the description of urine as honey.
baldness
The ancient Egyptians also knew about baldness and hair loss, and they succeeded in installing materials to nourish the hair and prevent it from falling out. They used a mixture of crocodile fat, ducks and snakes to treat the problem of baldness, and they are materials that cosmetic experts recommend using. They were included in some medical materials to treat hair.
Treatment with herbs and plants
Discover the pharaohs herbal and plant treatment where moths There are remains of them inside the tombs in addition to their mention in the medical papyri, not to mention their drawing on the walls of temples and tombs.
The herbs and plants that are currently used and known as alternative medicine, the pharaohs used them to treat many diseases. They appeared through their writing and the diagnosis of every herb and plant in treating every disease.
onions
The pharaohs knew onions in Pharaonic Egypt and took great care of it to the point that it was said that they sanctified it and immortalized its name in writing on the walls of the pyramids, temples and papyrus papers. Coconino), which is equivalent to insulin in the ability to regulate blood sugar, and the doctors of the Pharaohs mentioned the interest in onions and their keenness on distributing it in the lists of fortified foods that were distributed to the workers who built the pyramids, as they described it as nutritious, delicious and diuretic.
He also knew the value of onions in alerting the individual after fainting, so they put the onion plant inside the cemeteries and in the coffins of the dead with the mummified bodies, believing that it helps the dead to breathe when life comes back to him.
Onions were also used to predict weather conditions. The ancient Egyptians believed that the thin crusts surrounding the onions provide observational forecasts about the weather. If they were numerous, thin and transparent, the winter was harsh.
anise
Anise was mentioned in the Pharaonic manuscripts (papyri) among several medicinal recipes. The boiled anise seeds came in the Pharaonic medical papyrus as a drink to treat pain, stomach disorders and dysuria. It came in the Hearst Papyrus that the ancient Egyptians used Anise as an aromatic, sweaty, effervescent stimulant and against flatulence of the intestines, expelling gas, and part of mouthwash and treatment for gum and tooth pain. Aniseed is the eastern desert tombs of Thebes.
liquorice
In 1923, liquorice roots were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun
It was mentioned in the medical papyri, and they described that the fermented soak is useful in cases of vomiting and infectious irritation. This plant has a high therapeutic value for the Egyptians because of its strong and rapid effect on many digestive system diseases and the liver and intestines. Help heal stomach and intestinal ulcers.
In addition to the treatment, the ancient Egyptians used liquorice as a juice drink, and they were also mixed with bitter medicines to hide the bitterness of the medicine.
hibiscus
Doctors advise drinking hibiscus to treat high blood pressure, but this was the first to be reached by the Pharaohs through their medical documents.
Linum seed
They used flaxseed in both the medical and industrial fields. The Hearst Medical Papyrus mentioned it as part of a prescription for treating haemorrhoids. In contrast, it was mentioned in another medical papyrus to treat wounds, ulcers, wet eczema, heartburn, baldness, and a topical analgesic for infections, in addition to using it in aromatherapy compounds and massage treat some diseases and injuries.
In the industry field, the fruits of flax were used in the textile industry.
Cactuses
The pharaohs used aloe vera as a quick treatment in cases of ulcers of the eyes and over wounds and burns from the outside. They also praised it as a laxative for the intestines and a drink to remove bile.
grapes
Grape leaves were found in the cemetery (Ptah Hotep) and from the inscriptions found on the tombs of the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties, as well as the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Dynasties in Thebes. It has been scientifically proven that grapes contain many vitamins such as magnesium, iron, potassium, sugar materials, vitamin A and vitamin (C). Green grapes prevent dizziness and thirst, eliminate relaxation and sagging, and remove itching.
dates
Archaeologists have found the nucleus of dates in many Pharaonic tombs, in addition to that, it was presented as offerings to the gods, and this indicates the high status and position of the ancient Egyptians, who made a kind of wine from it. It helps to rid the blood of toxins and excess acidity and helps form red blood cells, as they know that it provides the body with energy and activity.
latency
Cumin came in the ancient papyri in more than 60 medicinal recipes. We mention the treatment of fever, tapeworm, indigestion, intestinal colic, and carminative. The Egyptians also made cumin an analgesic for stomach pain, rheumatism, joint pain, colds, and heal burns and against cases of scabies. They also used cumin from the outside to replace sores and wounds with a foul smell. They also presented it as gifts and offerings to temples.
myrtle
The pharaohs knew myrtle, as it is considered one of the ancient Egyptian plants whose branches were painted on the walls of the pharaonic tombs in the dancers’ hands. Scientists also found the plant’s branches in some pharaonic tombs in Fayoum and Hawara.
The myrtle plant was included in many therapeutic recipes in the Pharaonic papyri to treat epilepsy and cystitis, regulate urine and remove lower abdominal pain in the form of oral doses. As well as an ointment to treat lower back pain, against flatulence, headache and cough, and to increase hair growth.
cypress
The pharaohs used cypress leaves for several purposes; the most important was an ancient Pharaonic recipe for hair dye.
Scientists have found some wood of this plant from the Sixth Dynasty and the Twelfth Dynasty in ancient Egypt. Cypress trees are also engraved on the outer walls of the Temple of Ramses III at Karnak.
raspberry fruit
The fruits of berries were found in the tombs of Hawara, and the pharaohs used them as food and as part of therapeutic recipes. The berries are called in the Pharaonic language “Al-Khot”, and the pronunciation is very close to Arabic. . The pharaohs used berry juice as a drink to treat cases of bilharzia, stomach pain, coughing and whooping cough.
Tamarind
The tamarind came in a therapeutic recipe in the medical papyri to expel and kill worms in the abdomen.
Witchcraft (incantations and spells)
It was called religious medicine and was practised inside temples or in houses attached to temples. The pharaohs knew the magical spells written on the walls of temples to protect themselves from the dangers of life and protect his body after burial. The god (Thoth) was giving the healing skill to doctors.
Pharaonic recipes for treating impotence, contraception, depression, wrinkles, joint pain, sciatica, and heart disease
A-Cosmetics (removing wrinkles, strengthening nails and hair)
Carrots to remove wrinkles
Carving islands on the walls of Pharaonic temples, where the ancient Egyptian used it. It was mentioned in stomach and chest treatments, and it was said that women also used it as one of the basic cosmetic methods useful in the safety and health of the skin. Recently, the researchers discovered that carrots are rich in vitamin A, necessary for the skin’s safety and several vitamins. On top of this comes the activation and stimulation of the tissue regeneration process. And cells are a good process for removing wrinkles from the face and forehead, reducing sagging skin, and strengthening hair and nails.
Figs for the treatment of chest, skin and heart diseases
The Egyptian fig was used as a topical ointment to treat skin conditions and skin spots. It was also reported that figs were used to treat digestive disorders, expel worms from the abdomen and intestines, resist chest infections, heart diseases, hair loss, facilitate joint movement, and increase flexibility.
Orange to get rid of depression
Orange flower is used to combat stress and optimism, and bathing and massaging the feet give more recovery.
Black bean for the treatment of the digestive system
Black seed oil to reduce cholesterol, treat gastrointestinal infections such as diarrhoea, colic and stomach pain, in addition to indigestion and strengthen the immune system, with a daily dose of 4 drops on any drink.
sandalwood
To get rid of joint pain
The ancient Egyptian used sandalwood to eliminate joint and muscle pain by massaging the sick part of the body for (15-20) and (3-4) a week.
Peppermint oil
For the treatment of colds
Inhale drops of peppermint oil over a cup of boiling water to treat colds and bronchitis.
Aloe vera contraceptive
Fresh aloe vera leaf juice was used because of its practical effect in killing sperm. Medical documents confirmed that an ointment containing Jeswick Sabotin was prepared for topical use as a contraceptive. Scientific research has been conducted, and this is proven.
Lettuce for the treatment of impotence
The doctors of the Pharaohs mentioned in the medical papyri that it is included in many treatments. Surprisingly, lettuce formed a great interest through the engravings on the walls of the temples. They linked the god responsible for fertilization and reproduction to lettuce by placing piles of lettuce under his feet. Fertility (MIN). Males were standing in front of him to receive his help and advice in exchange for large quantities of lettuce, which means that lettuce treats the problem of erectile dysfunction in men, as it was also known that it helps in digestion, tonic for eyesight, relieves menstrual pain and can give psychological comfort. Research has recently discovered that the lettuce plant’s nutritional value is known for its richness in vitamin A and D. Scientists and researchers discovered its richness in vitamin E, the vitamin for fertilization and the balance of sex hormones, increasing their secretion. Egyptians by cases of infertility.