Embalming and accumulation of knowledge about the structure of the human body. Accumulation of knowledge about the structure of the human body

Sources of information about medicine of Ancient Egypt

For the first time, the existence of medical treatises in Ancient Egypt is mentioned in a record on the wall of the tomb of Uash-Ptah, the chief architect of the king of the V dynasty, Neferirka-Ra (XXV century BC). The same inscription states clinical picture sudden death of the architect, which, according to modern ideas, resembles myocardial infarction or cerebral stroke.

The most ancient medical treatises were written on papyri. They have not survived to this day and we know about them only from the testimony of ancient historians. Thus, the priest Menetho reports that Athotis (the second king of the 1st dynasty) compiled a medical papyrus on the structure of the human body. Currently, there are 10 main papyri known, wholly or partially devoted to healing. All of them are copies from earlier treatises. The oldest surviving medical papyrus dates back to around 1800 BC. e. One of its sections is devoted to the management of childbirth, and the other to the treatment of animals. At the same time, papyri IV and V were compiled from the Romesseum, which describe magical healing techniques. The most complete information about the medicine of Ancient Egypt is provided by two papyri dating from about 1550 BC. e., - a large medical papyrus by G. Ebers and a papyrus on surgery by E. Smith. Both papyri appear to have been written by the same person and are copies of an older treatise. Egyptologists believe that this ancient, unsurvived papyrus was compiled by the legendary physician Imhotep at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. e. Imhotep was subsequently deified.

The connection between the mythology of Ancient Egypt and healing

The Egyptian religion, which existed for almost four thousand years, was based on the cult of animals. Each Egyptian nome (city-state) had its own sacred animal or bird: cat, lion, bull, ram, falcon, ibis, etc. Snakes were especially revered. Cobra Wadjet was the patroness of Lower Egypt. Her image was on the pharaoh's headdress. Along with the falcon, bee and kite, she personified royal power. On amulets, the cobra was placed next to the sacred eye - a symbol of the sky god Horus. The deceased cult animal was embalmed and buried in sacred tombs: cats in the city of Bubastis, ibises in the city of Iunu, dogs in the cities of their death. Mummies of sacred snakes were buried in the temples of the god Amun-Ra. In Memphis, in a grandiose underground necropolis, discovered big number stone sarcophagi with mummies of sacred bulls. Killing a sacred animal was punishable death penalty. According to the Egyptians, the soul of a deceased person has been in the bodies of deified animals and birds for 3 thousand years, which helps it avoid dangers the afterlife. With this, Herodotus explains the severity of the punishment for killing a sacred animal.

The main gods of healing were the god of wisdom Thoth and the goddess of motherhood and fertility Isis. He was depicted as a man with the head of an ibis bird or embodied in the form of a baboon. Both the ibis and the baboon represented wisdom in Ancient Egypt. He created writing, mathematics, astronomy, religious rituals, music and, most importantly, a system for treating diseases natural means. The most ancient medical treatises are attributed to him.

Isis was considered the creator of the magical foundations of healing and the patroness of children. Medicines with the name of Isis are even mentioned in the works of the ancient Roman pharmacist Galen.

Ancient Egyptian medicine also had other divine patrons: the mighty lion-headed goddess Sokhmet, protector of women and women in labor; the goddess Tauert, depicted as a female hippopotamus. Every newborn Egyptian, regardless of social status lay next to a small statuette of Towert.

Mortuary cult

The ancient Egyptians considered the afterlife to be a continuation of the earthly life. According to their ideas, the afterlife substance of a person exists in two forms - soul and life force. The soul, depicted as a bird with a human head, can exist with the body of a deceased person or leave it for a while, rising to the gods in heaven. Life force, or "double", lives in the tomb, but can move to other world and even turn into statues of the deceased.

Ideas about the connection between afterlife substances and the burial place led to the desire to preserve the body of the deceased from destruction - to embalm it. This was done by people who were fluent in different ways embalming. One of these methods is described by the Greek historian Herodotus. Embalming methods have been lost, but their effectiveness is obvious. The corpses mummified by the ancient Egyptians several thousand years ago have survived to this day and make it possible to conduct research into the state of health and the characteristics of morbidity in such distant times. However, not everyone had the opportunity to embalm the bodies of deceased relatives. Most Egyptians in those distant times were buried without mummification, in pits and without a coffin.

It should be noted right away that the mummification of V.I. Lenin in Russia was carried out using a technology that had nothing in common with the methods of the ancient Egyptians. Originality Russian method was the possibility of preserving the intravital coloring of tissues and maximum portrait resemblance to a living object. All Egyptian mummies are brown in color and have a vague portrait resemblance to the deceased. The purpose of Egyptian embalming did not pursue the prospect of reviving the deceased and returning him to earthly life.

The practice of embalming in ancient Egypt was, apparently, the first and main source of knowledge about the structure human body. Embalming required the use of various reagents, which indirectly contributed to the emergence of ideas about chemical nature reactions. Moreover, it is assumed that the name “chemistry” itself comes from ancient name Egypt - "Kemet". The knowledge of the Egyptians in the field of anatomy significantly exceeded the understanding of the structure of the human body in neighboring countries and, in particular, Mesopotamia, where the corpses of the dead were not opened.

Natural and supernatural diseases

The Egyptians knew large organs: the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, intestines, muscles, etc. The first description of the brain belongs to them. In the papyrus of E. Smith, the movement of the brain in open wound the skull is compared to “boiling copper”. Egyptian doctors associated brain damage with dysfunction in other parts of the body. They knew the so-called motor paralysis limbs with head wounds. The Ebers Papyrus has an important theoretical section, which analyzes the role of the heart in human life: “The beginning of the secrets of a doctor is knowledge of the course of the heart, from which vessels go to all members, for every doctor, every priest of the goddess Sokhmet, every spellcaster, touching the head, the back of the head, arms, palms, legs - touches the heart everywhere: vessels are directed from it to each member..." The ancient Egyptians, more than four thousand years ago, knew how to diagnose diseases by the pulse.

The Egyptians saw supernatural causes of disease in the infusion of evil spirits of the dead into the body. To expel them, both medicines and various magic tricks. It was believed that bad smells and bitter food scared away evil spirits. Therefore, ritual mixtures for magical procedures included such exotic products as parts of mouse tails, secretions from the ears of pigs, animal feces and urine. During the expulsion of evil spirits, spells were sounded: “O dead! O dead man, hiding in this flesh of mine, in these parts of my body. Look! I took out feces to eat against you. Hidden, get away! Hidden, come out!” Many healers of our time “remove the evil eye and damage” by reciting texts that are essentially close to the ancient Egyptian ones, although in those days there were many healing techniques that were devoid of any mysticism.

Ebers Papyrus

Discovered in Thebes in 1872, the Ebers papyrus is medical encyclopedia ancient Egyptians. It contains more than 900 prescriptions of drugs for the treatment of diseases gastrointestinal tract, respiratory and cardiovascular systems, hearing and vision impairments, various kinds infectious processes And helminthic infestations. The papyrus is glued together from 108 sheets and has a length of 20.5 m. Egyptian healers used ointments, plasters, lotions, potions, enemas and others dosage forms. The bases for preparing medicines were milk, honey, beer, water from sacred springs, vegetable oils. Some recipes contained up to 40 components, many of which cannot yet be identified, making them difficult to study. The medicines included plants (onion, pomegranate, aloe, grapes, dates, sleeping pills poppy, lotus, papyrus), minerals(sulfur, antimony, iron, lead, alabaster, soda, clay, saltpeter), as well as body parts of various animals. Here is an example of a diuretic prescription: wheat cereal- 1/8, shad fruit - 1/8, ocher - 1/32, water - 5 parts. It was recommended to prepare the medicine at night and drink it for four days. Taking some medications was accompanied by magical rituals in the form of spells and incantations.

The birthplace of cosmetics

The Ebers papyrus contains prescriptions for medications for smoothing wrinkles, removing moles, coloring hair and eyebrows, and enhancing hair growth. To protect themselves from the scorching sun, Egyptians of both sexes lined their eyes with a green paste containing antimony and fat. The eyes were given an almond shape. Egyptian women blushed their cheeks and painted their lips. Apparently, the Egyptians were the first to introduce the wig, which was worn on short-cropped hair. The wig consisted of a large number of tightly intertwined braids. It replaced a headdress and indirectly contributed to the fight against lice. Modern Egyptian cosmetic companies striving for Russian market, are trying to revive many ancient recipes, advertising the rejuvenating effect of ancient ointments, patches, and lotions.

The ancient Egyptians attached great importance to compliance with hygiene rules. Religious laws prescribed moderation in food and neatness in everyday life. Describing the customs of the Egyptians of the 5th century. BC e., Herodotus testifies: “The Egyptians drink only from copper vessels, which they clean daily. They wear linen clothes, always freshly washed, and this is a matter of great care for them. They cut their hair and wear wigs to avoid lice... for the sake of cleanliness, preferring to be neat rather than beautiful. The priests cut their hair all over their bodies every other day so as not to have lice or any other filth on them while serving the gods. The priests' clothes are only linen, and their shoes are made of papyrus. They wash themselves twice once a day and twice a night." Apparently, it was no coincidence that the ancient Greeks considered the Egyptians the founders of “preventive” medicine.

Healing training

The transmission of medical knowledge in Ancient Egypt was closely related to the teaching of hieroglyphic writing in special schools at temples. Strict discipline reigned in these institutions and corporal punishment was common. In the large temples of the cities of Sais and Heliopolis there were higher schools, or Houses of Life. Along with medicine, they taught mathematics, architecture, sculpture, astronomy, as well as the secrets of magical cults and rituals. Houses of life are considered by many researchers as predecessors of universities of subsequent eras.

Students of the Houses of Life mastered the art of calligraphy, stylistics and oratory skills. Papyri were stored and copied here. Only the third or fourth lists of ancient originals have reached us. Educated person, and the doctor had to be such, the Egyptians called him “knowing things.” There was a certain amount of knowledge that allowed the Egyptians to recognize “one who knows by knowing him.”

Medical practice in Ancient Egypt was subject to strict moral standards. By observing them, the doctor did not risk anything, even if the treatment failed. However, violation of the rules was severely punished, including the death penalty. Each Egyptian doctor belonged to a certain college of priests. Patients did not go directly to the doctor, but to the temple, where the appropriate doctor was recommended to them. The fee for treatment was paid to the temple, which supported the doctor.

The rulers of many countries invited Egyptian doctors to serve at the court. Herodotus gives the following evidence: “The Persian king Cyrus II the Great asked Pharaoh Amasis to send him “the best in the whole of Egypt.” eye doctor. The art of medicine is divided in Egypt in such a way that each doctor cures only one disease. That’s why they have a lot of doctors: some treat the eyes, others the head, others the teeth, others the stomach, others the internal diseases.”

Herodotus writes about Egypt in the 5th century. BC e. By that time he ancient culture had at least three thousand years of history. The country survived the invasions of many conquerors, and its former splendor was in its natural decline. However, the enormous influence of Egypt on the development of culture and medicine of the peoples of Europe, Asia and Africa still remained in force. Homeland of Herodotus Ancient Hellas was just entering the path of historical prosperity. The continuity of Egyptian medicine is well reflected by Homer in the Odyssey. Taking care of the health and fortitude of King Menelaus, Helen

"... I intended to add some juice,
Sorrow-sweetening, peace-giving, giving oblivion to the heart of Calamities...
Dieva's bright daughter possessed wonderful juice there;
Generously in Egypt her Polydamna, the wife of Foon,
Endowed with it; the land there is rich, there are many
Cereals give birth to both good, healing, and evil, poisonous ones;
Each of the people there is a doctor, exceeding deep knowledge
Other people, since everyone there is from Peon’s family.”

(Translation from ancient Greek by V. A. Zhukovsky)

On the battlefields

Military doctors who accompanied the Egyptian army on campaigns played a major role in the accumulation of information in Ancient Egypt. The tombs contain images of operations on limbs. The lists from the papyrus of the deified physician Imhotep give clear instructions on the treatment of soft tissue wounds, dressing techniques, as well as on the most common surgical operations of that time: circumcision and castration. All injuries were divided according to prognosis into curable, doubtful and hopeless. Medical ethics of that time required open communication to the patient of the expected outcome of treatment in one of three phrases: “This is a disease that I can cure; this is a disease that I may be able to cure; this is a disease that I cannot cure.”

In cases where a cure was possible, the Imhotep papyrus gives clear instructions for healing tactics: “Tell him who has a gaping wound on his head: “This is a disease that I will treat.” After you have sewn up his wound, the first day, put fresh meat on it and do not bandage it. Take care of it until time will pass his illness. Treat the wound with fat, honey, lint until the patient recovers."

When treating fractures, Egyptian healers used wooden splints or bandaged the damaged limb with linen cloth soaked in hardening resin. Such tires have been found on Egyptian mummies. They are in many ways similar to modern plaster casts.

Urine therapy

In Ancient Egypt, urine was found quite wide application as remedy. Herodotus has a description of a not entirely ordinary case of urine therapy: “After the death of Sesostris, the royal power was inherited by his son Feron, who became blind... with an eye disease. He was blind for ten years; in the eleventh year the king heard the word of an oracle in the city of Buto that the time of his punishment It turned out that he would receive his sight if he washed his eyes with the urine of a woman who has intercourse only with her husband and has no other man. He first of all tested the urine of his own wife and, when he did not receive his sight, he put all the women in a row to the test until he finally received his sight. he gathered all the women whom he tested, except for the one from whose urine he received his sight, into one place, now called the Red Field, and burned them all there; the king himself married the woman from whose urine he received his sight.” So in Ancient Egypt it was simultaneously obtained healing effect and an examination of marital fidelity was carried out.

In the Ebers papyrus, the gynecological section contains information about recognizing the timing of pregnancy, the sex of the unborn child, as well as “a woman who can and cannot give birth.” The Berlin and Kahun papyri describe a simple way to determine the sex of an unborn child. It is suggested to moisten barley and wheat grains with the urine of a pregnant woman. If the wheat germinates first, a girl will be born, if barley, a boy will be born. American researchers from Georgetown University conducted such tests and received statistically significant confirmation of their effectiveness. However, this fact does not yet have a rational explanation.

People in Ancient Egypt suffered from toothache

The profession of dentist was extremely popular in Ancient Egypt. This is understandable, since studies of mummies have shown wide use Egyptians have severe inflammatory diseases periosteum, gums and teeth. Even the pharaohs, who had the best Egyptian dentists of that time, had jaw lesions and tooth loss. Apparently, interventions such as filling carious cavities and dental prosthetics with gold or other metals were not yet known. The only evidence of the use of gold is in the ancient Egyptian tooth medical practice is an onlay of two lower molars connected to each other by a thin wire along the line of the necks of both teeth.

Treatment of dental diseases in Ancient Egypt was carried out mainly conservatively, applying various pastes to the diseased tooth or gums. The Ebers papyrus contains 11 prescriptions for such drugs. According to the compilers, these pastes were supposed to heal the oral cavity, strengthen teeth, relieve inflammation of the gums (periodontal disease) and toothache. Many of the recipes for Ebers papyrus pastes have been reproduced by modern Egyptian pharmacists and are recommended for the treatment of periodontal disease, which is widespread in our time, leading to tooth loss.

Modern pharmaceutical industry Egypt and its scientific base belongs to the state. There are only a few private pharmaceutical companies that supply drugs to the Russian drug market. Considering that a number of ancient Egyptian medicines have stood the test of time and are quite acceptable for use in our time, Egyptian doctors and pharmacists are showing great interest in developing modern medicines based on them. medicines. Laxatives, diuretics, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic and other drugs with components of ancient Egyptian recipes have already been introduced into practice.

Mikhail Merkulov

Medical knowledge in ancient Egypt was at high level. Texts containing a large number of information about diseases and methods of their treatment. The diagnostics were at a high level. Some medications, used at that time, are actively used to this day.

Medicine and religion

As in other ancient civilizations, Egyptian medicine was inextricably linked with religion. The god of wisdom was considered its founder. The one who was credited with the authorship of the 32 Hermetic books. Six of them were devoted to medicine. Currently, all these works are lost.

In addition to the Hermetic books, medical knowledge also existed in papyri. The most famous of them, which have survived to this day, are the Ebers and Smith papyri, written around 1500 BC. The Ebers papyrus describes common medical topics, as well as more than 900 prescriptions and prescriptions. The Smith Papyrus contains information on the treatment of wounds and bruises. Works on pediatrics and gynecology were also found.

Doctors of Ancient Egypt

The first physician whose name is mentioned in ancient manuscripts, around 3000 BC, was Sekhetyanana. This was the court physician who “healed the king’s nostrils.” In honor of this, a statue was erected to him with a commemorative inscription about this event.

The most famous Egyptian physician was Imhotep, mentioned around 2975 BC. In addition, he was the pharaoh's chief vizier and architect. Subsequently, Imhotep began to be revered as a demigod and considered the patron of medicine. However, reliable information about his achievements has not survived.

In Ancient Egypt there was a special caste of physicians. Its representatives studied in specialized schools in Sais and Heliopolis. Doctors especially revered the rules described in the sacred texts of the Hermetic Books. As long as the doctor adhered to them, nothing threatened him, even if the patient died. But with any retreat he faced the death penalty.

Knowledge about the structure of the human body and diseases

Despite the practice of autopsy and embalming of the dead, knowledge about human anatomy and physiology remained at a low level. This is due to the fact that there were many prohibitions regarding dead body. Even embalming was carried out not by doctors, but by special specialists.

Ideas about diseases were based on the ideas of the possession of evil spirits. Therefore, conspiracies and special magical rituals were an integral part of the treatment. Other causes of illness were considered to be poisoning and weather. Surgery practically not used due to fear of damaging the body before the afterlife. Only the simplest procedures were carried out: reduction of dislocations and application of splints for fractures.

However, the diagnosis was at a fairly advanced level. Thus, the Egyptians were able to determine the pulse in different arteries and had an idea of blood circulation. Vital important body was considered the heart, and one of essential functions- breathing. The temperature was measured by applying the hand. According to some reports, the Egyptians knew how to listen to the heart and lungs by placing their ear to the patient’s chest.

Drug therapy

Pharmacotherapy was well developed. A large number of drugs were known and their exact doses for certain diseases were described. Some of them are actively used to this day, for example, olive and castor oil, saffron and opium. Knowledge of hygiene was also at a high level. And in therapy various diseases great attention was given to diet.

Medicine in Ancient Egypt evolved over thousands of years. The medical practice of Egyptian healers became known thanks to surviving papyri. Their knowledge was highly valued in their homeland and among their Mediterranean neighbors. Medicine was closely connected with religious rituals, which occupied a special place in Egyptian society. Its development has been noted since the predynastic period of existence ancient civilization until Roman times after the establishment of the usurper power of Emperor Augustus (Octavian).

The concept of medicine in ancient Egypt

The process of mummification. Tomb of Pharaoh Pepi of Egypt

The Egyptians acquired basic knowledge of human anatomy through trial and error through sacrifice and mummification rituals. The tradition of embalming already existed at the time of the birth of the centralized state, united under the leadership.

From the moment of his reign, the Early Dynastic period in the history of the empire began. However, medicine at that time was in its infancy. It was known that the extraction internal organs cutting through small incisions on the body of the dead required great skill.

This largely explained the fact that the mummification process was expensive and only wealthy citizens and representatives could afford it. royal dynasty. Anatomical knowledge was also applied to animals, which were buried with their owners in tombs.

The ancient Egyptians imagined the circulatory system. Its functions are mentioned in two papyri. They measured the pulse talking about the heart. During mummification, the brain was removed from the body, so it is unlikely that doctors of those times understood the complexity of the structure of this organ and its connection with nervous system. However, there are records on papyri detailing the role spinal cord when giving a signal for movements of the lower extremities.

General knowledge was gained about the work respiratory system. « Breath of life", "tjav n ankh» mentioned several times in Egyptian medical literature. It was known that air enters the lungs through the nose. This moment can be seen during a religious ceremony, when a slit was made next to the mouth of the deceased. The essence of this ritual was to return the body to life by giving it breathing, the ability to eat and speak.

Like the Greeks, the Egyptians believed that the accumulation of pathogenic substances "wehudu" in the body can cause illness. They did not always find a medical explanation for the symptoms and sharp deterioration health. The medicine of Ancient Egypt was closely associated with magical and religious rites, magical rituals and traditions.

During the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was believed that he had become immortal. His figure was replaced by the Renaissance, which ascended to heaven. His cult was especially popular during the reign of the Ptolemies and Roman emperors. Bes, Hathor and Taweret were symbols of worship for women during childbirth and helpers for parents of small children.

Medical papyri of Egypt

During archaeological excavations in Egypt, several papyri were found that reveal secrets medical science. The earliest document dates back to around 1550 BC. Historians tend to assume that its contents were copied from older sources from the Second Intermediate Period.

The second source, the Ebers papyrus, dates from approximately the same period, but was probably made a little later than the Smith papyrus. It describes in detail the procedure for measuring the pulse and the location on the body where it can be found. It contains large quantity medical cases. Egyptian doctors prescribed medicines, as is customary in modern practice. The Brooklyn Papyrus describes how to treat snake bites.

No documents on healing have been found dating from the end of the Ptolemaic period to the beginning of the Roman period. The only treatises from Late Kingdom Egypt were recorded in the works of Greek physicians such as Soranus, Herophilus and Galena. However, this did not diminish their importance. Until recently, Soran's revolutionary work was the main guide for midwives. At that time, Herophilus achieved outstanding success in the field of anatomy. Galen is considered one of the founders of modern pharmacology.

The medical papyrus of Crocodilopolis, written in Demotic, dates back to around the 2nd century. BC. and is similar in content to other sources. It describes the compositions of some pharmacological compounds. It is obvious that the medicine of ancient Egypt adopted the healing traditions of other peoples in order to provide more diverse and effective methods treatment.

It is known that the use of both local and imported medicines was widely practiced in Egypt during the Greco-Roman period. The use of Greek medicines was typical for the wealthy segments of the population, while treatment with Egyptian remedies was available to a wide range of people. This difference was especially noticeable in cosmopolitan centers such as Krokodilopolis and Tebtunis. Several "pseudo-Hippocratic" papyri were found at Oxyrhynchus. They illustrate that the school of the Greek Hippocrates, originally from the island of Kos, is still in play today important role in the life of the Greeks and Egyptians.

TOPIC: HEALING IN ANCIENT EGYPT

LECTURE PLAN:

1. The cult of the dead is a feature of the Egyptian religion.

2. Accumulation of knowledge about the structure of the human body.

3. Drug treatment.

4. Surgical treatment.

5. Contagious diseases.

6. Dentistry.

7. Medical ethics. Training in healing (“Houses of Life”).

8. Hygienic traditions and sanitary improvement of cities.

CULT OF THE DEAD – A FEATURE OF THE EGYPTIAN RELIGION

The first permanent settlements in the fertile Nile Valley appeared at the turn of the 6th-5th millennium BC. The population of ancient Egypt was formed from local North African and East African tribes. Thus, ancient Egyptian culture with its characteristic features(hieroglyphic writing, cult of the dead, characteristic art style) It has African descent .

The ancient Egyptian religion existed for 3.5 thousand years. Its striking feature was cult of the dead , which is the key to understanding the entire Egyptian culture. The cult of the dead of Ancient Egypt had no equal in any of the ancient religions. The ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife and considered it an endless continuation of the earthly one. They believed that the soul of the deceased, as long as his body was preserved, could return to it. Hence the desire to preserve the body from destruction arose, i.e. embalm his.

The ancient Egyptians believed that the afterlife substance of a person manifests itself in 2 forms:

One of them - soul (Egypt. ba) - depicted as a bird with a human head, exists with the body of the deceased, but can temporarily leave the tomb and rise into the sky to the gods;

Another form is “human double” (Egypt ka ), which accompanies a person throughout his life, and after death and burial will merge with the god Osiris into one whole and will reign in the afterlife. According to the Egyptians "Ka" after the death of a person, he can visit the tomb and use everything that is left there. Therefore, every Egyptian throughout his life thought about death and collected everything necessary for afterlife.

The inventor and first master of mummification, who prepared the first Egyptian mummy - the mummy of Osiris, is the god of embalming Anubis. At first, only the bodies of kings and later noble slave owners were turned into mummies.

Mummification was carried out by special people - Tarikhevts. The corpses of the dead, processed by them thousands of years ago, have survived to this day. However, their secret of embalming is lost forever.

Classic description Embalming procedures were given by Herodotus:

“First they take out the brain through the nostrils with an iron hook... then they make an incision in the groin with a sharp Ethiopian stone and clean out the whole abdominal cavity from the entrails, wash it with palm wine and cleanse it again with ground incense. Finally, the womb is filled with pure ground incense and stitched up again. After this, the body is placed in soda lye for 70 days... After this 70-day period, after washing the body, they wrap it in a bandage made of fine linen cut into ribbons and smear it with gum (it is used instead of glue). After this, the relatives take the body back, make a wooden sarcophagus in the form of a human figure, place the deceased there and store it in the family tomb, where they place the coffin upright against the wall.”

Nowadays, only one pharaoh rests in his sarcophagus in the Valley of the Kings - the young Tutankhamun (reigned 1361 - 1352 BC). X-ray studies his skulls showed that Tutankhamun's death was caused by strong blow in the area of the base of the skull, followed by a fracture and the formation of an extensive hematoma. He apparently remained alive for several weeks and died without regaining consciousness at the age of 19. His devoted wife and sister Ankhsenamun briefly survived her husband - power in Egypt was seized by Ai, the vizier of Tutankhamun.

Naturally, not many people had the opportunity to embalm the corpse of a deceased relative. Basically, the Egyptians buried their dead in the sand of the deserts adjacent to the Nile Valley. Wrapped in mats (without a coffin or mummification), the bodies of the dead remained almost unchanged for a long time: the sand dried them, protecting them from destruction.

According to the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, every deceased person appeared before the afterlife court, headed by the god of the underworld Osiris. The god of knowledge acted as the prosecutor That . God of embalming Anubis weighed the heart of the deceased. If it was lighter than an ostrich feather (a symbol of law and justice), the deceased had access to the world of the gods.

ACCUMULATION OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF THE HUMAN BODY

The Egyptians received their first ideas about the structure of the human body (anatomy) from the practice of injection.

Already in the middle of 2 thousand BC. the ancient Egyptians described the brain, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, intestines, muscles, etc. The ancient Egyptians noticed that damage to the brain causes paralysis of the limbs and thus. laid the foundation for natural scientific ideas about the brain.

Special role in a person’s life they were assigned to the heart and blood vessels. The ancient Egyptians identified diseases by the pulse, which was observed in different points bodies. They believed that the heart not only gives movement to the blood, but is also the seat of the soul and emotions.

The study of ancient Egyptian texts began relatively recently, after the French scientist J. F. Champollion unraveled the secret of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. The first message about this was made on September 27, 1822 before a meeting of French scientists. This day is considered to be the birthday of the science of Egyptology. Champollion's discovery was associated with the study of the inscriptions on the Rosetta Stone, found by an officer of the Napoleonic army in 1799 while digging trenches near the city of Rosetta in Egypt. Before the deciphering of the ancient Egyptian letter, the only sources on the history of Ancient Egypt and its medicine were the information of the Greek historian Herodotus, the Egyptian priest Manetho, presented in ancient Greek, as well as the works of the Greek writers Diodorus, Polybius, Strabo, Plutarch and others. Numerous ancient Egyptian texts on the walls of the pyramids, tombs and papyrus scrolls remained “mute” for researchers. For the first time, the existence of medical treatises in Ancient Egypt is mentioned in a record on the wall of the tomb of Uash-Ptah, the chief architect of the king of the V dynasty, Neferirka-Ra (XXV century BC). The same inscription provides a clinical picture of the sudden death of the architect, which, according to modern ideas, resembles a myocardial infarction or cerebral stroke. The most ancient medical treatises were written on papyri. They have not survived to this day and we know about them only from the testimony of ancient historians. Thus, the priest Menetho reports that Athotis (the second king of the 1st dynasty) compiled a medical papyrus on the structure of the human body. Currently, there are 10 main papyri known, wholly or partially devoted to healing. All of them are copies from earlier treatises. The oldest surviving medical papyrus dates back to around 1800 BC. e. One of its sections is devoted to the management of childbirth, and the other to the treatment of animals. At the same time, papyri IV and V were compiled from the Romesseum, which describe magical healing techniques. The most complete information about the medicine of Ancient Egypt is provided by two papyri dating from about 1550 BC. e., - a large medical papyrus by G. Ebers and a papyrus on surgery by E. Smith. Both papyri appear to have been written by the same person and are copies of an older treatise. Egyptologists believe that this ancient, unsurvived papyrus was compiled by the legendary physician Imhotep at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. e. Imhotep was subsequently deified.

2. The connection between the mythology of Ancient Egypt and healing. The Egyptian religion, which existed for almost four thousand years, was based on the cult of animals. Each Egyptian nome (city-state) had its own sacred animal or bird: cat, lion, bull, ram, falcon, ibis, etc. Snakes were especially revered. Cobra Wadjet was the patroness of Lower Egypt. Her image was on the pharaoh's headdress. Along with the falcon, bee and kite, she personified royal power. On amulets, the cobra was placed next to the sacred eye - a symbol of the sky god Horus. The deceased cult animal was embalmed and buried in sacred tombs: cats in the city of Bubastis, ibises in the city of Iunu, dogs in the cities of their death. Mummies of sacred snakes were buried in the temples of the god Amun-Ra. In Memphis, in a grandiose underground necropolis, a large number of stone sarcophagi with mummies of sacred bulls were discovered. Killing a sacred animal was punishable by death. According to the Egyptians, the soul of a deceased person resides in the bodies of deified animals and birds for 3 thousand years, which helps it avoid the dangers of the afterlife. With this, Herodotus explains the severity of the punishment for killing a sacred animal. The main gods of healing were the god of wisdom Thoth and the goddess of motherhood and fertility Isis. He was depicted as a man with the head of an ibis bird or embodied in the form of a baboon. Both the ibis and the baboon represented wisdom in Ancient Egypt. He created writing, mathematics, astronomy, religious rituals, music and, most importantly, a system of treating diseases using natural means. The most ancient medical treatises are attributed to him. Isis was considered the creator of the magical foundations of healing and the patroness of children. Medicines with the name of Isis are even mentioned in the works of the ancient Roman pharmacist Galen. Ancient Egyptian medicine also had other divine patrons: the mighty lion-headed goddess Sokhmet, protector of women and women in labor; the goddess Tauert, depicted as a female hippopotamus. Every newborn Egyptian, regardless of social status, lay next to a small figurine of Tauert.