1. Medicine Ancient Egypt

2. Medicine Practice of mummification taught Egyptians about human anatomy They understood: That injury to the brain could affect motor control The pulse was in some way connected with the heart Did not understand the brain had anything to do with thinking, believed the heart was centre of reason First to specialize in selected fields of medicine such as eye defects or stomach disorders Developed ways to set broken bones, care for wounds, perform elementary surgery, treat illnesses common at time such as rheumatism, kidney stones, gallstones and small pox

3. Role of Religion Egyptian approach to medicine not entirely scientific Illness thought to be caused by wrath of gods or evil spirit that had entered the body Prayers and incantations played an important part in treatments Doctors often chose them as first weapon against disease and injury Remedies selected entirely for their magical potential Example: if patient suffering from an injury to an internal organ, a plant leaf shaped like the organ might be selected as a cure

4. Interesting Facts Some of the ingredients used in prescriptions included blood, fat, bones and organs of animals Strange potions made from bats, bees, frogs, vultures One suggested remedy for various childhood illnesses required swallowing a skinned mouse whole Women practiced contraception by using concoctions such as honey and matron, which they injected into their vaginas Devised earliest known pregnancy test: women moistened sample of barley and emmer (wheat) with their urine each day, if neither grew, women was not pregnant Effectiveness of this test has been validated by modern science: urine of non-pregnant women will prevent barley from growing