AUT. i; 



HISTORY OF MEDICINE EXHIBITS WHITEBREAD, 



23 



The ancient Egyptians were skilled in pharnnicy, which art was 

 said to have been comnumicated b}' Horns, to whom it Avas taught b}- 

 his mother, Isis. The papyri contains numerous formula?, many 

 of them complex, in style quite like prescriptions of the present day. 



The records give evidence of considerable expertness in operative 

 surgeiy, such operations as venesection, circumcision, castration, 

 and even lithotomy and amputation being mentioned. As oculists, 

 the Egyptians were noted, and Herodotus states that '• Cyrus sent 

 to Amasis (500 B. C.) and had for him an oculist — the best in the 

 whole land of Egypt."" 



Old Egyptian medicine began to decline, with the first influx 

 of foreigners, during the seventh century B. C, and the beginning 

 of the end came wlien Amasis (570-526 B. C.) received the Greeks 



HORUS IMHOTEP 



Fig. 13. — Thot, Osiris, Isis, Hords, Imhotei-. 



into the country. It entirely vanished before the Greek system, 

 or survived only as a wretched abortion of magic and sorcery. 



Thot {TJiOth. Tot, Althothis). — Tlie God of Wisdom. Identified by the 

 Greeks and Romans witli Hermes and Mercury. All of tlie arts and sciences 

 emanated from liim, including- medicine, astronomy, and magic. Through his 

 body iiowed the mysterious fluid " Sa," carrying life and health, which he 

 could communicate to human beings. On his wings of an ibis, he was able to 

 bear the souls of the dead over the lake of Rha to the shores of Paradise. 

 He was author of 36 " Hermetic books," of which six pertained to medicine, 

 as follows: 1. Anatomy; 2. General diseases; 3. Surgical instruments; 4. 

 Medicine; 5. Diseases of the eye; 6. Diseases of women. (Fig. 13.) Cat. No. 

 143,330, U.S.N.M. 



Osiris (Apis, or Serapis) . — An Egyptian god. Osiris and Isis. his wife and 

 sister, are said to have invented the arts which are necessary to life, includ- 

 ing agriculture and medicine. (Fig. 13.) Cat. No. 143,333, U.S.N.M. 



Isis. — ^An Egyptian goddess, wife and sister of Osiris and mother of Horus. 

 The chief divinity of the healing art, the goddess of procreation and birth. 

 She invented many medicaments and " was very expert in physick." Being 



