The Hearst Papyrus: A Window into Ancient Egyptian Medicine

The Hearst Papyrus, also known as the Hearst Medical Papyrus, is an invaluable relic of ancient Egyptian medicine, dating back to approximately 1450 BC during the New Kingdom period. Unearthed in 1901 near Deir el-Ballas, a village in Upper Egypt, it was discovered by a local peasant and subsequently acquired by the Hearst Expedition. This archaeological mission was led by the eminent American Egyptologist George Reisner and funded by Phoebe Hearst, the mother of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, in whose honor the papyrus was named.

Comprising 18 pages inscribed in the hieratic script, the Hearst Papyrus offers a fascinating glimpse into the medical practices and beliefs of ancient Egypt. Its content focuses on remedies for various ailments, with particular attention to the urinary system, blood disorders, hair conditions, and animal bites. Remarkably, it lists treatments for bites inflicted by humans, pigs, and even hippopotamuses, highlighting the breadth of medical challenges faced by ancient Egyptian society. Many of its prescriptions combine practical remedies with ritualistic and magical elements, reflecting the intertwined nature of science and religion in ancient Egyptian culture.

The document not only underscores the advanced medical knowledge of the time but also demonstrates the Egyptians' systematic approach to healing. Ingredients mentioned include plant-based substances, minerals, and animal products, some of which are still recognized for their therapeutic properties today. For instance, honey, widely used in ancient Egyptian medicine, is known for its antimicrobial qualities.

Despite its apparent authenticity, the Hearst Papyrus has faced scrutiny due to its exceptionally well-preserved state. Some scholars have questioned whether such preservation is consistent with its purported age. However, George Reisner, who published facsimiles of the papyrus in 1905, argued that its pristine condition was due to its having remained sealed since antiquity.

Today, the Hearst Papyrus is housed in the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. It continues to be a subject of academic study and admiration, offering a vital resource for understanding the intersection of medicine, magic, and daily life in ancient Egypt. Recent research has leveraged advanced imaging techniques to further decipher its texts, shedding light on the evolution of early medical practices and their enduring influence on later civilizations.
The Hearst Papyrus: A Window into Ancient Egyptian Medicine

Women Pioneers in Ancient Egyptian Medicine

Ancient Egypt was a civilization known for its remarkable contributions to medicine, where women played a significant role. Among them were royal figures such as Mentuhetep (ca. 2300 BCE), Hatshepsut (ca. 1500 BCE), and Cleopatra (60–30 BCE), all highly knowledgeable in medicine and pharmacology. These queens were not merely figureheads; they actively engaged in medical practices and research, reflecting the elevated status of educated women in Egyptian society.

The Temple of Sais, located near the Rosetta Mouth of the Nile, served as an early center for medical education, notably in obstetrics and gynecology, and was led by women professors. These educators trained female students, suggesting that ancient Egyptian society recognized the importance of specialized medical knowledge for women. This approach enabled women to address the unique health needs of other women, contributing to more effective maternal care and the treatment of female health issues.

Apart from Sais, the ancient city of Heliopolis, renowned for its intellectual pursuits, may have also housed a medical school. Though evidence is less certain than that of Sais, Heliopolis was a thriving center of learning and could have offered women similar opportunities in medical education.

In addition to these historical insights, recent archaeological discoveries continue to highlight the advanced understanding of health in ancient Egypt. Medical papyri from this era, such as the Ebers Papyrus (ca. 1550 BCE), contain detailed descriptions of treatments for a range of conditions and even suggest early forms of surgical practices. These documents reveal knowledge of anatomy, herbal medicine, and surgical techniques, demonstrating that medicine in ancient Egypt was a well-developed discipline.

Today, the achievements of these women and their contributions to medicine are recognized as essential elements of medical history, illustrating that ancient Egypt fostered an inclusive environment for medical learning. By involving women in specialized medical roles, Egypt not only advanced healthcare practices but also laid a foundation for women’s roles in medicine that would influence later societies.
Women Pioneers in Ancient Egyptian Medicine

Priest-physician in ancient Egypt

Medicine was called “the Necessary Art” in Egypt and supported by the Per-Ankh, “the House fo Life,” and by schools of training and research.

Most general practitioners of Egyptians medicine were priests educated in medical techniques ranging from trauma to gynecology and many specialized in particular fields. Priest-physicians who healed are called wabu; lay physicians were called sunu.

Priest-physicians were expected to conduct a detail examination of the patient in order to observe symptoms and elicit signs.

The physician noted general appearance, experience, color, swelling, stiffness, movement, odors, respiration, perspiration, excretions and listened to the patient’s account of the history of the illness. The physician was allowed to touch the patient to study the quality of the pulse, abdomen, tumors, and wounds.

Priest of the goddess Sekhmet treated a wide array of diseases, except for eye disorders which were treated by the priests of Douaou. When a man was bitten by a snake, the priest-physician was called in and he took from the temple library the manuscript about the myth of Ra his mother Isis and recited it.
Priest-physician in ancient Egypt

History of eczema

Eczema as defined previously is dermatitis caused by internal factors such as inherent diathesis, stasis, stress, dry skin etc. Eczemas are classified depending on morphology and aetiology.

Historical reflections in the description of atopic eczema start with Robert Willan who in 1808 used the term ‘eczema’ in a scientific morphological way. In his book, Description and Treatment of Cutaneous Diseases Willan expanded classification of skin disease and introduced new clinical entities such as erythema nodosum (inflammatory reaction deep in the skin).

The efforts clinical descriptions of skin conditions and their treatments date back to 1600 BC in ancient Egypt, where medical healers treated such conditions as psoriasis, ulcers, alopecia and scabies. The term ‘eczema’ was coined in the sixth century AD by the Greek physician Aetios from Amida who described the boiling and bubbling (eczeo = to bubble up) as it can be observed in a boiling soup.

Early description can be found in the book of the Italian physician Girolamoi Mercuriali (1601) with a description of ‘lactumen’ as crustose skin lesions on the scalp which look like burned milk in a pan and were later called ‘cradle cap’.

Bateman in 1813 defined eczema and has a rather precise meaning for the majority dermatologists. The word eczema is often used as a synonym for dermatitis and would probably be a well accepted denomination since the general public has always considered the disease atopic dermatitis to be an eczema, as it is identical to infantile eczema.

Rayer (1793-1867), the first edition of his influential Treatises, proposed to distinguish acute and chronic eczemas.

In 1933, Wise and Sulzberger later coined the term atopic dermatitis to further emphasize the relationship between atopic eczema, hay fever, and asthma. History of eczema

Medicine in ancient Egypt

Egyptian medicine experienced a surprisingly rapid development as early as the Old Kingdom and preserved it s good reputation both as home and abroad even in the following centuries.

Ancient Greek writers from Homer to Herodotus praised the physicians of Egypt for their wisdom and skill, but the Greeks also knew Egypt as the ‘mother country of diseases’.

The abundance of disease that flourishes in Egypt provides a rational for Herodotus’ observation that the while country swarmed with highly specialized physician dedicated to care the eyes, head, teeth, stomach and obscure ailments.

Egyptian medicine was a compendium of treatments and prescriptions compiled almost exclusively through trial and error over the course millennia.

Medicine was part healing, part magic and part religion. Doctors of ancient Egypt knew much about human anatomy and how to treat many diseases. They set broken bones, delivered baboies and prospered dressings for wounds.

Treatment for an illness might combine chanting a magical spell, prayers to god or goddess, and a potion prepared by the doctor.

Surgery was rare, and dissection was the province of butchers and embalmers most depictions of internal organs are of cattle and other animals rather than human being.

Physicians employed a vast pharmacopeia of natural substances. Honey was used for its medicinal properties as well as its sweetness and the juice of pomegranates served as both an astringent and a delicacy.

It is indisputable that ancient Egyptian medicine influenced the advancement of medicine in cultures around the Aegean Sea, but primarily in Greece, where its uninterrupted continuation through the medicine of the Roman Empire eventually became European medicine.
Medicine in ancient Egypt