The Egyptian Culture of Medicine

Ancient Egyptians were said to be highly advanced society. Through their belief of preserving the body for the afterlife (mummification) they became masters of the human body, health, and healing (Bailey, 2002). Their findings have shaped what is commonly known today about the human anatomy. There was little separating mainstream practice and alternative medicine in ancient times: However, such is not true today in Egypt. Their healthcare system today is similar to that of the United States. The state of Egyptian healthcare centers on the history and medical practices of their culture.

There are three known medical texts originating from ancient Egypt, The Kahun Gynecological Papyrus, The Ebers Papyrus, and The Edwin Smith Papyrus. The Kahun Gynecological Papyrus was written in the 29th year of the reign of Amenenhat III circa 1825 BCE in hieroglyph. This papyrus addresses such issues as the process of conception, pregnancy testing and contraception. For pregnancy testing the method used included digging an onion bulb deep into the woman's skin and determining the outcome by the type of odor the patient smelled (Medicine, 2006). This makes sense because in most pregnant women strong odors can be quite nauseating. For contraception it calls for a recipe of crocodile dung, 45ml of honey, and sour milk believed to have been given topically or as a suppository (Medicine, 2006). The Ebers Papyrus is the most lengthy of the medical papyri with 100 pages of text. It is dated the 9th year of the reign of Amenhotep I circa 1534 BCE (Medicine, 2006). This papyrus is written in hieratic script which is a cursive form of Egyptian hieroglyphics used especially by priests. It states that the heart is the center of the blood supply with vessels for every part of the body. They named the heart the hub of vessels for all fluids of the body such as blood, tears, urine, and semen. Mental disorders such as depression and dementia are also addressed in a section called the Book of Hearts. This papyrus also covers contraception, gynecological aspects, intestinal diseases and parasites, eye and skin problems, dentistry, surgical treatments for tumors and abscesses, bone setting and burns (Ebers, 2006). The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus is the most awe inspiring of the medical papyri. This papyrus was written around 1600 BC but is said to be based on material written as far back as 3000 BC. Imhotep, known as the father of Egyptian medicine (as only one of his many titles including a god) is the author of this papyrus (although some believe it was added to and edited by three other authors). It is an ancient textbook of trauma surgery, examination, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and anatomical observations. It describes the cranial sutures, meninges, and cerebrospinal fluid along with a wrinkle remover called urea which is an ingredient still used in facial creams. It shows that by this time the Egyptians had figured out the role of many of the primary organs and better understood the accessory organs of the body. The ears though, were said to have had secondary function. The right ear was believed to carry the breath of life while the left, the breath of death. All the medical treatments are practical save one instance where magic is mentioned (Edwin Smith, 2006).

Modern Egyptians believe that one must "shop" for good medical care even though medical care is available for free or very low cost in Egypt. In America Egyptians tend to put off purchasing insurance until they are financially stable. Because of this, when a problem arises they will commonly seek the advice of their family first before seeing a doctor. Once they do seek the aid of a doctor they want immediate, personalized attention, expect medical tests, regimens and prescriptions. A doctor who is meticulous may be viewed as incompetent for the Egyptian because of the need for a quick, decisive diagnosis. They do not mind medication or injections but are not well receptive of advice on weight or nutrition. Intramuscular injections of vitamins are more common than those in pill form and many Egyptian Americans often practice self medication. They tend to get these medicines imported from Egypt to spare the need for a prescription. Most early immigrants do not have a preference for gender when choosing a provider. Birth control is never discussed until the birth of the first child because Egyptians believe that a family is not whole without a child. This causes some stress if there are complications in conceiving. The women are often threatened with divorce if they do not conceive in the first year of marriage, even if it is the fault of the husband (Salimbene, 2000).

Typical health problems of the modern Egyptian culture are parasitic diseases, infectious diseases and "modern" diseases. Some of the parasites that plague Egyptians are Schistosoma mansoni or schistosoma haematobium (Salimbene, 2000) which are waterborne