Ancient Egyptian doctors were famous across the ancient world. Medical papyri more than 3,500 years old describe how to examine patients, treat wounds and fractures, and prepare hundreds of remedies, mixing careful observation with prayers and spells.
The medical papyri
The Edwin Smith Papyrus, from about 1600 BC and copied from older texts, describes 48 cases of injuries, from head wounds to broken bones, in a logical order. For each it gives the examination, the diagnosis and whether the case can be treated. The Ebers Papyrus, from about 1550 BC, lists hundreds of remedies for illnesses of the stomach, eyes, skin and more.
Doctors and treatments
Doctors were often priests and could specialize: there were eye doctors, dentists and doctors of the belly. They set broken bones with splints, stitched wounds and used honey, which kills bacteria, as a dressing. Many remedies used plants such as garlic, onion, willow and aloe. They also used magic, because illness was often thought to come from evil spirits.
Imhotep
Imhotep, the architect of the Step Pyramid, was later worshipped as a god of medicine. At Kom Ombo a famous relief is often described as showing surgical instruments. Read more about daily life in ancient Egypt.
