ANovimberPi9iT' }    Pharmacy  and  Medicine  in  Egypt.  '503 
almost  all  knowledge.  The  supposed  works  of  Hermes  ("Trisme- 
gistus"),  which  were  said  to  be  very  numerous,  have  never  been 
found,  and  there  is  no  warrant  for  such  a  character  in  fact ;  it  may  be 
a  personification  of  a  long  succession  of  writers.  "  Hermes's  tomb 
was  discovered  by  Alexander -the  Great,  full  of  golden  treasures; 
not,  indeed,  in  metal,  but  in  writing  on  emerald  tablets." 
The  Egyptians  used  to  prescribe  medicine  with  certain  religious 
ceremonies.  Physicians  and  priests  were  working  hand  in  hand.  A 
patient  was  brought  in  the  presence  of  his  god  Apis  before  he  could 
see  a  physician.  This  god  was  nothing  but  a  bird  or  an  animal  of 
special  distinguishing  marks,  exercised  by  special  instructors,  and 
the  people  gave  all  they  could,  and  kings  spared  no  money  in  building 
the  most  magnificent  temples  for  the  quadruped.  The  animal  had  a 
special  room,  wonderfully  furnished,  standing  behind  velvet  cur- 
tains ;  it  slept  on  ostrich  feathers,  and  ate  and  drank  out  of  vessels 
of  gold.  If,  while  in  his  presence,  Apis  should  cease  eating  and 
happen  to  lick  the  garments  of  the  patient,  it  signified  the  patient 
was  to  die  soon.  Physicians  stopped  treating  him,  because  they  be- 
lieved that  Apis  was  endowed  with  prophetic  power  and  divinity, 
and  the  effective  constituent  and  therapeutic  action  of  the  remedies 
were  only  the  spirit  of  the  god  Apis.  The  unfortunate  creature  was 
shocked  and  grieved,  for  naturally  his  condition  was  aggravated,  and 
perhaps  he  would  die  from  sorrow. 
Embalming. — The  use  of  preservatives  and  medicaments  was 
known  to  the  Egyptians.  They  used  to  give  unusual  care  towards 
preserving  the  bodies  of  their  dead  by  embalming  and  protecting 
them  from  putrefaction  and  attacks  of  insects.  The  corpses  of  the 
kings  were  placed  in  the  graves,  in  the  crouching  position,  on  rugs, 
and  were  supplied  with  jars  of  food  and  water  and  with  their 
favorite  musical  instruments.  These  corpses,  probably  more  than 
5000  years  old,  have  been  found  with  skin  and  hair  well  preserved; 
even  the  food  supplied  to  the  wealthy  dead  was  likewise  preserved. 
Embalming  in  those  ages  was  very  important,  and  necessary,  indeed, 
for  sanitary  purposes  and  for  the  protection  of  the  country  from  the 
attack  of  epidemics  and  many  contagious  diseases  caused  by  the 
putrefaction  of  mummified  bodies  disturbed  by  the  overflowing 
of  the  Nile  twice  a  year.  They  carried  the  art  to  great  perfection, 
and  embalmed  not  only  human  beings,  but  crocodiles  and  other  sacred 
animals.  The  art  of  embalming  and  the  original  formulae  have  not 
been  discovered  yet  ;  it  is  an  important  matter  and  a  great  oppor- 
