Medicine in ancient Egypt
In Ancient Egypt they understood that disease could be treated by pharmaceuticals. It was recognized that the healing potential in massage and aromas, had male and female doctors who specialized in certain specific areas, and understood the importance of cleanliness in treating patients.
It wasn’t til the 19th century CE that the germ theory of disease was confirmed by Louis Pasteur and proven by the work of british surgeon Joseph Lister. The Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865) offered the then outlandish proposal to the medical community that they could cut mortality rates in their practices simply by washing their hands.
Injuries were easy to understand in Ancient Egypt. Disease however was more complex. When someone was injured there was a simple cause and effect which could be treated. However when someone was sick the cause was unknown therefore harder to treat.
So how does this all link to our modern day and age? Although the technology we use to treat certain diseases and injuries has drastically changed, the overall procedure has stayed pretty similar. If someone was sick there’d be a diagnosis and medicine. If someone was injured there’d be a cause and certain healing process (depending on the severity of both) In conclusion the way we treat medicine has stayed the same, it’s just grown.
