Health Hazards and Cures in Ancient Egypt

Page 1 of 6

• 1. The environment
• 2. Life stages
• 3. Evidence on bones
• 4. Injury
• 5. Treatment
• 6. Find out more
• Print entire article

The environment

Many accounts of ancient Egypt begin by stressing the influence of the environment, and particularly the great River Nile, on the everyday life of its people. It is a good place to start in considering the health of the Egyptians, as the Nile was the life- and health-giving source of water for drinking, cooking and washing. It also, however, harboured parasites and other creatures that were less beneficial.

As people waded through standing water, particularly in the agricultural irrigation channels, parasites such as the Schistosoma worm could enter the human host, via the feet or legs, to lay eggs in the bloodstream. These worms caused a lot of damage as they travelled through various internal organs, making sufferers weak and susceptible to other diseases.

'These worms caused a lot of damage as they travelled through various internal organs...'

Sometimes ancient Egyptians took in guinea worms in their drinking water. The female guinea worm would travel to its preferred site - the host's legs - in order to lay her eggs, again causing ill health.

Despite the fairly wide range of foodstuffs, cereals, fruits, vegetables, milk and meat produced by the ancient Egyptians, not everybody would have had adequate nutrition. There is evidence from the bodies of ancient Egyptians, retrieved from their graves, that some people suffered nutritional deficiencies.

'...some tomb builders complained of headaches, others were too drunk to go to work, and some had emotional worries.'

As in other societies, ancient Egyptians also suffered from more everyday types of sickness. Records reveal that some tomb builders complained of headaches, others were too drunk to go to work, and some had emotional worries. Although it is difficult to gain information from mummies and skeletons about eye complaints, some artwork suggests that such problems were not uncommon. Flies, dirt and sand particles would have caused infections in the eyes and lungs. Many Egyptians wore eye paint, which may have been an attempt to ward off eye infections - it is now known that the green eye paint containing malachite had medicinal properties.

Next 

Published: 2002-11-01