Medicine in the days of the pharaohs by Bruno Halioua and Bernard Ziskind

Recommended by: Stephan J. Macaluso, Librarian
Call Number: Stacks R137 .H3413 2005

Egyptian physicians were considered the best in the ancient world for more than a millennium: their work even influenced Hippocrates. They had an enormous herbal pharmacopoeia at their disposal, and they supplemented their prescriptions with religious practice and magic to address illnesses ranging from adolescent heartache to tetanus. Using CAT scans, ancient papyri, tomb illustrations and mummy autopsies, the authors uncover how Pharaonic physicians understood and treated disabilities, accident victims and congenital diseases.
Clever occupation-based chapters outline ailments common to farmers (serpents!), miners (scorpions!), fisherman (crocodiles!), scribes and even the mummy-making embalmers themselves. Halioua and Ziskind also offer a thought-provoking look at the pathology behind the plagues of the Old Testament. And, yes, they tell us how mummies were made. Enjoy!