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The physician in Ancient Egypt

From earliest times, the Egyptians practised the art of healing. The ancient word for doctor or physician was "swnw", pronounced today as "soonoo" from the root word "swn" meaning to suffer pain.

The hieroglyph for physician contained the sign of an arrow, (see left). This may allude to Thoth, who in Osirian legend, cared for those wounded in battle.  Further more, all physicians were priests associated with the cult of Sekhmet, the lion-headed goddess who was able to dispense illness as well as cure it. One such title associated to Sekhmet was "The Pure of Sekhmet, who can dispel evil spirits".

The Edwin Smith Papyrus is a 4.5m long papyrus named after the Egyptologist who bought the document in 1826. Translated in 1923 by Professor J Breasted, it is a medical treatise concerning pathology and bone surgery. Not only does it describe fourty-eight known conditions and their treatments, it also describes three categories for a physician. Beginning with the "swnw", "Doctor of the People", followed by the "wabw", "The Pure" or "Those who are ceremonially pure", and finally the "saw", "The Guardian".

We know from records that the Ancient Egyptians adopted a hierarchy system reminiscent of today’s health service:

	Junior doctors (swnw)
	Doctors (imy-r-swnw)
	Senior doctors (wr-swnw)
	Registrar’s (smsw-swnw)
	Consultants (shd-swnw)
	Specialists in a given field, such as Sekhet-n-Ankh, a nose doctor.

There is only one attested title for a female doctor, Pesehet, of the 4th dynasty who held the title "imy-rt-swnt" meaning "lady director of lady physicians". All of these professions were ably assisted by nurses and wound dressers.

A doctor for all ills

Herodotus (II,84) attests that "The practice of medicine is so divided amongst them that each physician treats one disease and no more. There are plenty of physicians everywhere. Some are eye doctors, some deal with the head, others with the teeth or the belly, and some with hidden maladies ..." Homer, in his Odyssey (IV, 229-232) describes the situation: "There, every man's a doctor, every man knows better than all the others how to treat all manner of disease." A 6th dynasty court physician and high-priest Pepyankh, enjoyed the titles "Doctor to the King's Belly", and "The King's Eye Doctor" plus the rather intriguing "Shepherd of The King's Anus" (??!!), a strange combination of titles to say the least!

The status of the Egyptian doctor

The Ancient Egyptian physician became renowned throughout the Ancient Mediterranean and Rome for their skill. Indeed, such was their fame that Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire, requested from Ahmose II the services of an Egyptian oculist. The great Greek physician Hippocrates was also known to have held the Egyptians knowledge of medicine in high esteem. Surprisingly, even with their intimate knowledge of anatomy through embalming and mummification, the Egyptian physicians knew very little of the workings of the body. As such, their medicine was not directed to the prevention of an illness, but rather to the treatment of an illness, using all means at their disposal. This would include the use of herbal remedies, surgery, religious invocations and as a last resort, magical incantations.
	Cyrus the Great
	Hippocrates

The "swnw" - doctor of the people

The "swnw" - doctor of the people, which also included basic dentistry, was the lowest of the medical stratum. He would derive his knowledge and information from books and gain experience, relying on the findings of palace physicians and dentists as the source of his knowledge. His reputation was gained by a system of trial and error. Other duties for the "swnw" would be to provide health and beauty treatments such as skin creams, ointments and hair dyes. He was also expected to act as a veterinary surgeon and pest control officer, ridding houses of fleas, lice, rats and all manner of infestations. 

Although the medical profession consisted of a hierarchical system, nowhere is it attested that "junior doctors" the "swnw", were able to attain promotion to the rank of "wabw". This suggests that like all other trades throughout ancient Egypt, the position was probably hereditary.

The "wabw"

The name was probably pronounced "waboo" meaning "the pure". The Ebers Papyrus, the oldest known scientific treatise known to man, contains cases studies on anatomy and seven hundred formulae for making medicines. It describes a position known as the "wab-Sekhmet" meaning "pure of the goddess Sekhmet". Due to their higher status, these physicians treated the more privileged in society. Apart from administering medicines, the "wabw" also incorporated the use of religious rites as part of their practice. They would give invocations to the god Thoth, the god of wisdom and to Sekhmet, whose son Imhotep was believed to be the inventor of medicine.

The "Saw"

The elite of physicians, pronounced "saoo" meaning "guardian", which probably derived from "sa" meaning "to protect, to watch over, or to take care of". As one would expect, it was the "saw" that treated the elite of society.

A "saw" was generally educated and trained within the temple palace schools called "peri-ankh", the "Temples of Life", namely those of Heliopolis and Sais. Here they would undergo a formal apprenticeship under an acknowledged master.

The "saw" would incorporate the techniques and practices used by the "wabw" with the added potency of magic and sorcery. Engaging in a battle with the invisible powers causing an unknown illness (usually depicted as a scorpion attacking a human being), one of his titles was "those who master the scorpions". The highest position attainable would have been "Great of the Palace Doctors".  Not only did he treat the pharaoh but was also responsible for the medical care of the country, as a sort of "Health Minister".

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