Ancient Egyptian Medicine Curius Institutio a Curatio Vetustas "Images"

Imhotep -- Father of Egyptian Medicine

Most educated estimates of when medicine first appeared lead us to Ancient Egypt. Around 2725 B.C., a man by the name of Imhotep was practicing medicine, building pyramids, and indulging in astrology. Imhotep existed as a mythological figure in the minds of most scholars until the end of the nineteenth century, when he was established as a real historical personage.

"This statue is a depiction of Imhotep as an idol of the people of Ancient Egypt. Statues such as this fueled the debate over whether Imhotep was a true to life figure or a mythical manifestation." (To see more objects of Imhotep and other Egyptian physicians, click on the statue.)

Deities -- Mysticism

The Egyptians brought a number of deities into close relationship with medicine. They did this through the creation of religious imagery and artifacts. By worshiping and praying to these artifacts, ancient Egyptians felt that they would conjure the relative powers of each god or goddess. The literature of the temples preserved prescrptions used for the treatment of patients. These prescriptions were taken while making invocations to the gods Ra, Isis, or Horus. It is thought that Egyptian medicine was purely empirical and became magical through the influence of the Babylonian priests. However, mysticism certainly had an enormous impact on the practice and progression of medicine in the Egyptian world.

"The protective goddess Taweret, as depicted in this statue amulet dated 1,000 B.C., was believed to have a special role in childbirth. This statue has the head of a hippopotamus, the legs and arms of a lion, and the tail of a crocodile. This type of idolic representation was widespread in ancient Egyptian medicine." (To learn more about the deities Egyptians worshiped, click on the amulet.)

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