Ophthalmology in Ancient Egypt: A Recent Perspectives and Theoretical Overview
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/rtass/v2/19138DKeywords:
Medical education, ancient Egypt, Ebers Papyrus, Edwin Smith Papyrus, medical specialization, ophthalmologyAbstract
The aim of this review es to delve into the training, practice, and main features of those who oversaw eye health in Ancient Egypt.
In comparison to the other ancient civilizations, the Egyptian civilisation has the greatest allusions to the work of ophthalmologists. The practice of medicine was regulated from the time of Imhotep and ethical rules were respected, and a complete anatomical and treatment descriptions were found. Pepi Ankh Or Iri, who lived between 2270 and 2210 BC, is regarded as history's first documented ophthalmologist. Prayers, incantations, astrology for prognosis, amulets, and pharmacology with eye drops and ointments were used in ophthalmological remedies. The specifics of the ophthalmologic operation are unknown. The Edwin Smith (1600 BC), Ebers (1550 BC), Hearst (1550 BC) and London (1300 BC) medical papyri include description and treatment of ophthalmological pathologies. Ophthalmological medical help was in charge of lay doctors or swnw, priests, and magicians who collaborated because they believed that diseases were caused by external forces as well as supernatural causes. Later on, medicine during the late period showed a rational empirical regression, demonstrated by the greater use of healing charms in the Hearst and London papyri.
