Researchers from the University of Manchester and Liverpool published a scientific paper describing the skills of doctors in Ancient Egypt. The work is based on the decipherment of the Brooklyn Papyrus and positions ancient medicine as advanced and innovative.
According to Phys.org, the scientific work of Professor Rosalie David and Dr. Roger Forshaw was published under the title “Medicine and Healing in Ancient Egypt.” This is one of the first works that describes in detail the skills of ancient Egyptian doctors. The authors paid special attention to advanced methods of treating snake bites.
Scientists obtained the necessary data from the so-called Brooklyn papyrus, created around 450 BC. A recent transcription has revealed that the text is one of the oldest surviving medical writings in the world. In fact, it is a manual that teaches how to combat aging, treat poisoning and injuries, and help the disabled. Decoding the text also indicates that medical care in Ancient Egypt was universally available to everyone, without exception, regardless of age, sex and social status. It was provided in both workplaces and churches.
Scientists describe ancient Egyptian medicine as advanced and innovative, noting that many methods later flowed organically into modern medicine. For example, the papyrus details several methods for treating people bitten by snakes and scorpions. This was the most common threat to the ancient Egyptians. To avoid this, people prayed to deities associated with these creatures, used magical spells to prevent the bites or cure the patient. But doctors also had practical methods of treatment, which were painful, but produced the desired effect.
Thus, to treat snake and scorpion bites, ancient doctors used common onions, as well as a natural compound called natron, a mixture of decahydrated sodium carbonate. It was mined in salt lakes. Doctors treated the wounds with onion and natron after making cuts with a knife. Papyrus recommended in some cases applying bandages to keep the medication in place. But he did not recommend using a tourniquet to prevent the spread of poison throughout the body.
Natron, modern scientists note, has the ability to reduce swelling and acts as an antiseptic for wounds and cuts. Curiously, this substance was also widely used in the mummification of bodies. In total, the Brooklyn Papyrus contains almost 100 medical prescriptions. The most common ingredient in medicines turned out to be onion. Researchers explain this by saying that sulfonic acid, which makes us cry when cutting onions, can repel snakes.
“For most of its history, Ancient Egypt exerted significant political, military, and cultural influence on its neighboring lands,” says Rosalie David, professor emeritus of biomedical Egyptology. “The Egyptian healthcare system was advanced and successful, not least due to the development of innovative ways to treat snakebites and save lives. It was used even in medieval and later practice in Europe, and some aspects still survive in medicine” “modern” western.
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