Diseases in Ancient Egypt

By Ali Abu Dashish and Maydaa Abo El-Nadar

CAIRO, Jan. 21 (SEE) - Egyptian team, studying royal mummies, announced a very important discovery about ancient Egyptian diseases.

A discovery occurred thanks to a CT scanner dedicated only to analyze mummies. The device shows every part whether inside or outside the mummy. It takes us on a journey to discover secrets about ancient Egyptians’ life and death.

In this regard, Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass says, “The information we previously acquired about ancient Egyptians was thanks to X-ray. According to this information, it was believed that some of the 18th and the 19th dynasty suffered spine’s inflammation. Also analyzing Amenhotep II’s, Ramses II’s, and his son Merneptah’s mummies, the rays showed that inflammation is an ancient disease.”

A doctor treats one of the patients

He added “On the contrary, the Egyptian team’s researches, using CT scanner, confirmed that inflammation is a modern disease that did not exist in ancient Egypt. Recent researches showed that Amenhotep III’s, Ramses II’s, Merneptah’s, and Ramses III’s mummies suffered calcification, a fact that proves that calcification was a common disease during those times.”

Calcification is also called Dish. It is caused due to luxury, especially due to eating excessively red meat, and it generally infects elderly. It was discovered in the Old Kingdom, through analyzing skeletons and mummies encountered at the Cheops Pyramid’s eastern side, by the American scientist George Reisner. The disease remained a sit is since those times.

pharaonic circumcision

Ancient Egyptians suffered from heart diseases. Concerning this fact, the Egyptian team found out that Ramses II’s heart was weak and that Merneptah’s bones were fragile, probably the reason was simply aging.

Worth noting is that the Egyptian team included radiology professor at Kasr El-Enie Sahar Sahar Saleem, who presented an enjoyable study about ancient Egyptian mummies and proved that rheumatoid arthritis was encountered in 13 mummies.

Thanks to the teams’ researches, done on several mummies from the old and the modern kingdom, it was discovered that Pharaohs and princes died at the age of 50 to 60. Regarding ancient Egyptian workers, they died at the age of 30 to 35. Their early death is believed to be due to schistosomiasis that infects the liver and causes early death.

Hawass believes it is important to expand researches and studies about diseases in ancient Egypt. “We have to remember that the significant studies, done on the skeletons of the workers who built the Pyramids, proved the existence of a medical unit and fixed ambulance service, at the Pyramids’ building site, to offer medical assistance for workers.”

installation of prostheses

He added that “Evidence proved that some limbs were broken, maybe because of stone-fall. However, the limbs were successfully treated. Also, arms’ and legs’ amputation and bleeding control were practiced. It was proved that patients lived long after treatment.”

“Dental studies provided important information about how ancient Egyptians used to live, eat, and drink.”

Hawass concluded “We need to expand studies and researches about skeletons and mummies, to know people were living and death reasons in the ancient times. To achieve this goal, modern medical technology should be involved in the mummies’ studies.”

Ophthalmologist