Ancient Egyptian medicine : part 3 : medicine and therapeutics

Abstract

While external disease or trauma was easily identifiable and related to a particular event, ancient populations often looked at internal disease as unexplainable and correlated with the influence of malicious spirits or deities. The Ancient Egyptians were no exception and often their medical culture developed mythological concepts to help protect them from internal disease. Mention has already been made of the recourse made by parturient women to the deities Bes and Taweret. Other deities in the Ancient Egyptian pantheon were attributed with protective and healing magical powers.