HEALTH AND MEDICINE IN ANCIENT EGYPT : MAGIC AND SCIENCE 3.1. Origin of the word and analysis formula; «mummy powder» as medicine………………………..52 3.2. Ancient Egyptian words related to mummification…………………………………………55 3.3. Process of mummification summarily HEALTH AND MEDICINE IN ANCIENT EGYPT : MAGIC AND described……………………………………………….56 SCIENCE 3.4. Example cases of analyzed Egyptian mummies …………………............................................61 Paula Alexandra da Silva Veiga 2.Chapter: Heka – «the art of the magical written word»…………………………………………..72 Introdution…………………………………………......10 2.1. The performance: priests, exorcists, doctors- 1.State of the art…..…………………………………...12 magicians………………………………………………79 2.The investigation of pathology patterns through 2.2. Written magic……………………………100 mummified human remains and art depictions from 2.3. Amulets…………………………………..106 ancient Egypt…………………………………………..19 2.4. Human substances used as ingredients…115 3.Specific existing bibliography – some important examples……………..………………………………...24 3.Chapter: Pathologies’ types………………………..118 1. Chapter: Sources of Information; Medical and Magical 3.1. Parasitical..………………………………118 Papyri…………………………………………………..31 3.1.1. Plagues/Infestations…..……….……....121 3.2. Dermatological.………………………….124 1.1. Kahun UC 32057…………………………..33 3.3. Diabetes…………………………………126 1.2. Edwin Smith ………………..........................34 3.4. Tuberculosis 1.3. Ebers ……………………………………….35 3.5. Leprosy 1.4. Hearst ………………………………………37 ……………………………………128 1.5. London Papyrus BM 10059……..................38 3.6. Achondroplasia (Dwarfism) ……………130 1.6. Berlin 13602; Berlin 3027; Berlin 3.7 Vascular diseases... ……………………...131 3038……………………………………………………38 3.8. Oftalmological ………………………….132 1.7. Chester Beatty ……………………………...39 3.9. Trauma ………………………………….133 1.8. Carlsberg VIII……………..........................40 3.10. Oncological ……………………………136 1.9. Brooklyn 47218-2, 47218.138, 47218.48 e 3.11. Dentists, teeth and dentistry ………......139 47218.85……………………………………………….40 3.12. Gastroenterological/ hepatic ………….142 1.10. Other papyri.……………………………...41 3.13. Urinary/Renal ……………….................146 Ramesseum III, IV e V e VIII a XVI 3.14. Psychiatric …………………………......152 Insinger 3.15. Genetic ………………………………...153 Berlin 3033 ( Westcar ) 3.16. Respiratory …………………………….153 IFAO Deir el-Medina 1, Cairo 4.Chapter: Medical-magical prescriptions and used Leiden I 343-I 345 ingredients.....................................................................156 Schøyen MS 2634/3 4.1. Ingredients……………………………....157 Tebtunis 4.1.1. Vegetable……………………………...157 Yale CtYBR 2081 4.1.2. Animal………………………………..157 Louvre 4.1.3. Mineral……………………………….161 Rubensohn (Berlin 10456) Vindob 3873 Conclusions…………………………………………..163 Vindob 6257 (Crocodilópolis) Bibliography………………………………………….168 Turin 54003 Anonymus Londinensis Annex I – Egyptian Flora with medicinal-magical- Louvre E 4864 religious properties.......................................................206 Borgia IFAO Coptic Chassinat Greek Papyri 2.Ostraca……………………….………………………50 3.Mummies…………………………………………….51 Health and Medicine in ancient Egypt: magic and science interconnection of the studied themes, as, investigating « (…) the Egyptian legacy, and comparing it many times with The hairs in my head are the same as the ones from the present examples, part of the pathological patterns in goddess Nun. Egypt did not change much when referring to endemic My face is the Solar disc of Ra. diseases. The strength of the goddess Hathor lives in my eyes. There are four Chapters, (1. Chapter: Sources of The soul of Upuaut 1 echoes inside my ears. Information; Medical and Magical Papyri; 2. Chapter: Inside my nose the forces of the god Khenti-Khas are Heka –«the art of the magical written word»; 3. Chapter: alive. Pathologies’ types; 4. Chapter: Medical-magical My two lips are the lips of Anupu 2. prescriptions and its ingredients); this theme list being a My teeth are the teeth of Serket. description that contemplates from the global perspective My neck is the neck of the goddess Isis. to details, revealing all, from general existing sources to My two hands are the hands of the powerful lord of particular ingredients used in prescriptions. 3 Djedu . The first Chapter (1. Chapter: Sources of Information; It is Neit, the sovereign of Sais that lives in my two arms. Medical and Magical Papyri) briefly lists pertinent My backbone is the backbone of Seth. sources of information to the study of medical-magical My phallus is the phallus of Osiris. practices in ancient Egypt and includes some sources not My flesh is the flesh of the Lords of Kher-Aha. quoted in this work, but nevertheless essential to this My chest is the Lord of the Terrors. research, analysis and conclusive thinking; Egyptian My womb and my back are those of the goddess papyri, written in different languages, ostraca with Sekhmet. medical-magical characteristics, skeletized and The forces of the Eye of Horus dwelve in my buttocks. mummified human remains, art depictions, foreign My legs are the legs of Nut. travelers’ diaries, general literature where pathologies are My feet are the feet of Ptah. mentioned (personal letters), food habits, seasons of My fingers are the fingers Of the Double Divine Falcon famine and abundance, caused by war or natural that lives forever. catastrophes as the yearly flood. The reference to the In truth! There is no tone member in my body that is not origin of the word mummia is made and also to the hosted by a divinity. «mummy powder» used as medicine. Some ancient As for Thoth, he protects all my body. Egyptian words are listed either related to health and 4 As Ra, I renew myself everyday. » body parts or mummification, just as examples. Next, the mummification procedures are summarily described Introduction according to classical authors and some conceptions of ancient Egypt regarding the human body. This chapter Health was a constant concern in life and even the ends with some cases of analyzed Egyptian mummies, deceased needed extra care so they can be at their prime referring the used techniques and results. A table was when closed in the sarcophagus, in the possession of elaborated listing known cases. magical ‘weapons’ so that, when they would reach the Afterlife, they would be in the complete possession of all In the second chapter (2. Chapter: Heka – «the art of the their physical abilities. Medicine in ancient Egypt was magical written word»), an analysis is made of how the trying to restrain all malefic beings from action and to ancients Egyptian considered magic, both in life and after preserve the well-being of the individual. Thus the initial death, in the afterlife, its relation to the human body, statement that magic and science were one and only, a magical ‘performances’ and the desired effects, the ‘job’ and its exercise by priests, exorcists, doctors-magicians, the active practitioners of magic (those who produced sole concept, represented by heka . medical prescriptions and applied them), how the medical Through this work, all descriptions and conceptions diagnosis was made, a table illustrating medical observed in the existing legacy of ancient Egypt will lead specialties is shown, some ancient Egyptian words are to conclusions that attest this unique duality, if we can listed as related to human body parts and mummification, name it. a question is made about per-ankh , a hospital-school?, After careful observation, this work was divided in and also a reference to medical instruments is added. Chapters, because this form was agreeing with the Next we have a sub-chapter on written magic, spells and gods related to magic, personal performances, another sub-chapter lists different amulets and its importance, 1 Or Wepwawet. mentions also some words used in personal protection, 2 Or Anubis. 3 Or Osiris. including human substances used as ingredients in 4 Chapter 42 from The Book of the Dead, translated from the magical prescriptions with medical intent. Portuguese, Sales, 1999: 419. In the third chapter (3. Chapter: Pathologies’ types), some pathologies are discussed; the ones we can relate to 3 ancient Egyptian society as to have existed mentioning Observing that, we can still repeat what was done at that treatments, when known. time and have notions of how some present popular In the fourth chapter (4. Chapter: Medical-magical beliefs go back to Pre-Dynastic times, even though we prescriptions and its ingredients), the ancient Egyptian have no direct written or iconographic evidence of it for pharmacopoeia is discussed in more detail, distinguishing such a remote time of Egypt, but we have oral tradition, the types of ingredients used in prescriptions in vegetable, and in that, many of the myths still reflect intertwined mineral and animal items, giving examples. cosmogonies; gods that have several abilities and The conclusions are clear to attest that magic and competences which are sometimes melt into syncretic medicine did not exist as separate entities, distinct from ones. In the Ptolemaic period (c. 305-30 BC) and also in each other, as in ancient Egypt, the conception of well Greco Roman period (30 BC a 395), Byzantine (middle being brings together a mix of prophylactic actions IVth century to 642), or even Arabic periods these (generally denominated as magic by modern Western medical-magical practices of ancient Egypt persisted, civilizations), and medical therapeutics with a probable with more or less adaptations, as we can see from the scientific basis. iconography, that is in continuous visual