Imhotep “Father of Medicine” (2980 B.C.)

We have been misled to believe that ancient Greeks, particularly Hippocrates, were the fathers of medicine . A research team from the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at Manchester University now say from evidence in medical papyri written in 1,500 BC - some 1,000 years before Hippocrates was born, that Imhotep is the true Father of Medicine.

Imhotep lived during the Third Dynasty at the court of King Djoser. He was a scribe, chief lector, priest, architect, poet, philosopher, astronomer and magician (medicine and magic were used together (then as now!). He was worshipped as a god and healer from approximately 2850 BC to 525 BC, and as a full deity from 525 BC to 550 AD. In the ‘Turin Papyri’, he is described as the son of Ptah, chief god of Memphis in recognition of his role as a wise councillor. Early Christians worshipped him as the “Prince of Peace.” He was worshipped even in Greece where he was identified with their god of medicine, Aslepius.

Homer (c.800 BC) remarked in the Odyssey: “In Egypt, the men are more skilled in medicine than any of human kind” and “the Egyptians were skilled in medicine more than any other art”.

Prof Rosalie David, Director of the KNH Centre, said: “The ancient Egyptians were practising a credible form of pharmacy long before the Greeks. They can be thanked for the introduction of a structured medical and pharmacological system that continues to the present day.”

Sir William Osler is quoted as saying that Imhotep is “The first figure of a physician to stand out clearly from the mists of antiquity”. He diagnosed and treated over 200 diseases, 15 diseases of the abdomen, 11 of the bladder, 10 of the rectum, 29 of the eyes, and 18 of the skin, hair, nails and tongue. Imhotep treated tuberculosis, gallstones, appendicitis, gout, and arthritis. He also performed surgery and practised some dentistry. He extracted medicine from plants. He also knew the position and function of the vital organs and circulation of the blood system.

Medical documents first discovered in the mid 19th century show that ancient Egyptian physicians treated wounds with honey, resins and metals known to be antimicrobial. Piles and rectal prolapse were treated by medication, suppositories, laxatives and enemas. For burns, 'a mixture of milk of a woman who has borne a male child, gum and ram’s hair was applied'. Before surgery, patients were sedated with opiates. Local anaesthesia was known, where water was mixed with vinegar over Memphite stone, which resulted in the formation of carbon dioxide with its analgesic effect. Cough was treated by inhalation of honey, cream, milk, carob, colocynth and date kernels.

If any of you want to create a stir in your local community you may consider (or not) this diarrhoea remedy “Green onions 1/8, freshly cooked Gruel 1/8, oil and honey ¼, wax 1/16, water 1/3, cook and take for four days”.