The Egyptians
were very strong believers in medicine. Their god of healers and embalmers
was Anubis. Egyptians were the first people to start using antiseptics
to stop infection. Their version was willow leaves and bark which can
lower your chances of infection.
Medicine
in the Egyptian mind had one goal ahead of others. It was not practiced
by witch doctors as in tribes of long ago, with combinations of magic,
herbal remedy, and gullible beliefs. Homer in the Odyssey acknowledged
this phrase:
"In Egypt, the men are more skilled in Medicine than any of human
kind".
The human body was believed to be born in a very healthy form, and could
not suffer illness or die except through the manipulation of an ancient
agent. In case of wounds or intestinal worms, that agent was able to
be seen and the treatment wanted was simplistic. As the Egyptians had
never heard of microbiology because of their time, internal diseases
were thought to be due to an evil force placed by the devil gods, a
severe punishment or witchcraft procedures. The physician was forced
to exterminate this evil before really performing an operation.
Despite all of their limits of knowledge of what caused
diseases, their studies of anatomy and physiology were very sensible.
Without any thought against it, they mummified the dead while other
nations of the world would smolder their dead to ashes. An example of
part of the mummifying process is emptying the skull through the person's
nose with a long hook. It could have never been constructed without
any knowing of the anatomy of the head and brain.
Today, many brain surgeries are carried out by this routine.