Egyptians, Not Greeks, Were True Fathers Of Medicine



The medical documents, which were first discovered in the mid-19th century, showed that ancient Egyptian physicians treated wounds with honey, resins and metals known to be antimicrobial.


INTERN DAILY

by Staff Writers
Manchester, UK (SPX) May 11, 2007

Scientists examining documents dating back 3,500 years say they have found proof that the origins of modern medicine lie in ancient Egypt and not with Hippocrates and the Greeks. The research team from the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at The University of Manchester discovered the evidence in medical papyri written in 1,500BC - 1,000 years before Hippocrates was born.
"Classical scholars have always considered the ancient Greeks, particularly Hippocrates, as being the fathers of medicine but our findings suggest that the ancient Egyptians were practising a credible form of pharmacy and medicine much earlier," said Dr Jackie Campbell.

"When we compared the ancient remedies against modern pharmaceutical protocols and standards, we found the prescriptions in the ancient documents not only compared with pharmaceutical preparations of today but that many of the remedies had therapeutic merit."

The medical documents, which were first discovered in the mid-19th century, showed that ancient Egyptian physicians treated wounds with honey, resins and metals known to be antimicrobial.

The team also discovered prescriptions for laxatives of castor oil and colocynth and bulk laxatives of figs and bran. Other references show that colic was treated with hyoscyamus, which is still used today, and that cumin and coriander were used as intestinal carminatives.

Further evidence showed that musculo-skeletal disorders were treated with rubefacients to stimulate blood flow and poultices to warm and soothe. They used celery and saffron for rheumatism, which are currently topics of pharmaceutical research, and pomegranate was used to eradicate tapeworms, a remedy that remained in clinical use until 50 years ago.

"Many of the ancient remedies we discovered survived into the 20th century and, indeed, some remain in use today, albeit that the active component is now produced synthetically," said Dr Campbell.

"Other ingredients endure and acacia is still used in cough remedies while aloes forms a basis to soothe and heal skin conditions."

Fellow researcher Dr Ryan Metcalfe is now developing genetic techniques to investigate the medicinal plants of ancient Egypt. He has designed his research to determine which modern species the ancient botanical samples are most related to.

"This may allow us to determine a likely point of origin for the plant while providing additional evidence for the trade routes, purposeful cultivation, trade centres or places of treatment," said Dr Metcalfe.

"The work is inextricably linked to state-of-the-art chemical analyses used by my colleague Judith Seath, who specialises in the essential oils and resins used by the ancient Egyptians."

Professor Rosalie David, Director of the KNH Centre, said: "These results are very significant and show that the ancient Egyptians were practising a credible form of pharmacy long before the Greeks.

"Our research is continuing on a genetic, chemical and comparative basis to compare the medicinal plants of ancient Egypt with modern species and to investigate similarities between the traditional remedies of North Africa with the remedies used by their ancestors of 1,500 BC."

source

If they find "evidence" of some civilisation, or tribe or w/e, pre-dating the Egyptians, having used 'medicine', but not documents, would that classify that tribe as having invented medicine?

Trully.

The Gypos were the fathers of the Greek civilization. We learned most of our shit from them. For example the column decoration thing that we got and evolved it to Ionian and so on styles came from ancient Egyptian temple architecture.

Gypos were the ones who clearly know about medicine since they were the ones who knew the human body and its anatomy inside and out. Mummifying is something that progressed them light years in medicine.

Clearly the most civilized nation in the world.

I knew that the Greeks didn't invented "the medicine"

But we still are better than zee Terks

a fine piece of bullcrap....if i may add

Panta me ton kalo logo re papara.

Mouhahahahahahahahaha!!! That's true (because i went in a Turkish hospital when i was 18 )

The turks are better in football than ze "vee fuck you"
Plus ze Greeeeeeeeeks never invented TAVLI too

Yes Yorgi you know that i 'm right !!!

Sure Chris you can joint us

say that again babeaaa



even Xtrabul will admit to the fact that turks copied tavli (roman word tavola...la table ) from the west

Ok i'll repeat my dear
"Plus ze Greeeeeeeeeks never invented TAVLI too"

It's an ancient Egyptian game: senet
Greeks copied it from Egytian and Turks copied it from greeks

To cheat on a cheater is not an offence

Thanks for posting.

Great Answer Artist !!

fuck medicine, us turks are only interested in the art of killing and war

this time i have a good reason though

as if Hipocrates is the first one to mention medicine in Greece...clearly nobody has read Homer in their Egyptology department....its early and i dont have the books nearby for some quick examples...