Bull. Ind Inst. Hist Mad. Vol. XXIII, pp. 37 to 48 PHARMACY AND MEDICINE EDUCATION IN ANCIENT EGYPT SAMIR YAHIA EL-GAMMAL'" ABSTRACT The ancient Egyptians knew many of the therapeutical effects of the medicinal plants. This knowledge was taught at home from father to son. So. these houses formed the first primitive pharmacy and medicine schools. Century after century, the ancient Egyptians became mor e and more interested in medical sciences. Temples began to establish medical and pharmaceutical schools. Priests 01 good and honest character with scientific background were chosen to become teachers and professors in these schools. Another medical and pharmaceutical schools teaching all the scientific courses were the Per Ankh or Houses of Life. Special schools were erected inside the Royal palaces for the education of the Royal family children, the nobles and the court officials comprising all sorts of sciences and arts, specially taught in its own Per Ankh, as in Heliopolis and Memphis palaces. In the pre -dvr.astic periods, the preparations, together with writing ancient Egyptians knew many of the and reading. therapeutical effects of the medicinal plants. This knowledge was taught When writing and reading became at home from father to son and was available to many people, round kept secretly in certain families, who 5000 B C., these physician herbalists became very famous in curing the began to write down all what they sick people with herbs, minerals, knew of sciences in sheets of papyri, parts of animals together with the comprising all the pharmaceutical help of spiritual incantations and prepar atior.s. their methods of uses amulets So. these houses formed and their curative effects and the the first primitive pharmacy and type of diseases each of these reme- medicine schools, in which the sons dies can be used for cure. Copies were taught the art of mixing and of these sheets were handed over preparing of different pharmaceutical to the priests of the Heliopolis temple, '" Pharmacist. Researcher in the His. orv of Medicine & Phm macv. P.O. No. 136. Maadi. CAIRO; EGYPT. 38 Bul!. Ind. lnst . Hist . Med. Vol. XXIII who hung them round the columns within its campus, specially in the and on the walls of the temple, so as major capitals of the provinces of the visiting sick people could consult Egypt, and their teachers were them about their diseases and benefit specialised priests with scientific from these informations. By time, background, and began teaching all the temple became so crowded with kind of sciences. Priests of good sick people who considered it as a and honest characters were chosen pilyrimage place. to become teachers and professors in these schools and were obliged to Also, many students came to learn wear a coarse uniform cloths made of from these sheets about the beneficial linen in the form of a long dress, and uses of the herbs and tile different covering their backs with leopard skin and walk with shaven scalp so diagnostic methods, and get use of as to be recognised every where. these informations in their future career of medicine and pharmacy. The students who wish to be educated in these schools were The priests collected these bits of chosen to be least talkative persons, medico-pharmaceutical informations with plenty of courage, great and were collectively named "the patience, being circumcized as a sign book of Ember" or "the Holy Book". of purity, and must have obtained It was often referred to as being a a previous priliminary religious gift of God That and so it came to be education in a temple, for fear of the basis of the medical text books getting mixed up with bad-mannered and convinced the commons that it comrades. was of devine origin and unchan- geable. Also, if one of these students commited a dishonourable mistake, This book of Ember was soon that deeply affects his belonging to monopolised by the temple priests . his supreme institute, received a who kept it very secretly hidden. severe punishment, either imprison- Century after century r the ancient ment or hanged. This constituted an Egyptians became more and more example for those students wishing interested in medical sciences, and to continue their studies in those forced the priests to simplify the schools, that they have to keep their contents and informations of this purity, good manners and excellent book so as to be more handy to all conduct, due to the strong belief that temples. pharmacists and physicians were honest messengers from God for the These temples began to establish sake of preserving the life of the medical and pharmaceutical schools people. Pharmacy and Medicine Education-El-Gammal 39 The education and studying in in the r.ervice of the terr pies they these institutes was for a limited have graduated from, by treating th E number of years. First, the students poor sick people who come aski;;g get a primary education of the basic for help, all free of cha-qe, before principles of sciences, then the they could start their private career. intelligent students were chosen by their professors so as to proceed in Many out-patient clinics were higher courses and so on. When erected, attached to the rnedical they have fininshed this stage with schools in all the temples, together success, and pass their final examin- with in-patient wards for the cure ations, then the officials of these and treatment of the sick and institutes celebrate this occasion by operable patients. holding a graduation ceremony, in the most holy and sacred place of Also a big pharmacy was erected the temple. There. the professors joining these clinics for the prepara- tion of all the necessary needed and the Government's high officials pharmaceuticals for the use of the attend and the graduates swear an patients. Each temple was supplied oath on medical and pharmaceutical with the medicinal plants for the ethics, which can be briefed in their preparation of the different pharma- promise by the devine God that they ceutical forms, from the annexed will keep in utmost secrecy, all the sciences they were taught so as to botanical garden, which were con- trolled by experienced pharmacists, prevent them from falling into the equipped with laboratories following hands of evil commons, and that they scientific rules of that time. The should do all their best to serve the collection of these valuable medicinal society's welfare and must be plants were done under strict super- sympathetic with the poor patients vision of guards who were priests in and must not reveal any of the patient's secrets .. etc. This oath was origin. copied literally by Hippocrates, and The wealthy families sent their all the medical graduates in ancient children to be educated and study Greece were made to swear it before writing, reading, medicine, pharmacy starting their professional career, and ... etc. in these temples specially the this custom is still in function throughout the whole world The famous ones. original Pharaonic Oath was found The oldest and most famous written in Hearst Papyrus. The newly temple-institute in ancient Egypt was medical and pharmaceutical graduates were obliged to begin their practice that one in the city of Annu by forcibly joininq for a certain time, (Heliopolis) (now a suberb, north of 40 BUll. u.« 1;:5t. Hist . Mea. Vol. X XIII Cairo), and was considered a sacred cian Asclepios in the 11th century city for the worship of the one and B.C. Also Hecutaeus of Miletus only God Ra. This temple was very (Malta) in 520 B.C., Hecataeus of famous all over the known world to Abdera in 300 B C., Aristophanus, be the highest cultural centre ever Pliny, Xenophonus, Tacitus and many built, and students from all Egypt other Greek and Roman scientists and the neighbouring countries came and philosophers (AI~o Eudoxus in and joined it for higher education in 395 A D.). all sciences. This temple-university was most probably erected before Another famous temple univer- 4000 B C. This temple-university, sity was built in Memphis, south of together with its famous school for Cairo, during the period of the Old herbalists. was highly appreciated for Kingdom (2800 B.C ), when Memphis its highest standard of education. became the unified capital of Egypt Its medical school in the first two (in 3200 B C ). This temple harboured years. gave general medical know- the famous school of pharmacy, and ledge, while in the following years, another for medicine. This latter specialised section for every branch school graduated the famous physi- of medicine accepted students cian Imhotep, which later on, became wishing to specialise in a certain one of its professors and director of branch, such as internal medicine, the temple-institute, and on his ophthalmology, dermatology, surgery, death, it was called Imhotep temple. dentistrv ... etc. Also contained a very famous library. The pharmacy school used to Also, in the temple of Memphis educate the students, the art of (Sakkara today), there existed a preparing drugs and pharmaceuticals special temple for the treatment of from herbal, mineral or animal sources, psychological diseases, based on with special attention to the ways of music and the help of some sedative cultivation, propagation, preservation herbal preparations ..etc. of the various medicinal plants. A third famous temple-institute Many of the ancient Greek was that of Sais (now called Sa students came to study and learn in AI-He·gar). which was 60 km. south this temple, such as Hippocrates, of the present-day Alexandria, and Pythagoras, Galen, Adox, Solon, became celebrated every where. Plato, Cornelius, Celsus, Serabion Ebers Papyrus ment.oried that its (150 A.D.), Democritus (400 A.D.), writer was graduated from both Epicurus and many others, not to Heliopolis and Sais temples, as a sign forget the very famous Greek phvsi- unci poof of his great • kill in medical Pharmacy and Medicine Education--E! - Gernrnal 47 profession, (this papyrus was con- Every House of l.ife contained a sidered as the text-book for drug division which was culled "House of classification in every branch and Drugs" or Pharmacy Institute, and every human organ).