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To the Egyptians,
disease was the work of demons. An example of their beliefs is found in
an ancient manuscript which refers to a particular demon of sickness which
is “a brother of blood, companion of pus and father of malignant
swelling”.
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Ritual amputation of the foreleg of a bull as part of
the Egyptian ceremony of the Opening of Mouths in which “live flesh”
or ankh was provided as a meal for mummies or statues. From a tomb c.
1300 B.C.
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The ancient Babylonians, Assyrians,
Hebrews, Chinese and Indians also believed that disease indicated the
displeasure of the gods or spirits. The emphasis of primitive medicine
was therefore on appeasing the gods or spirits or on driving out the bewitching
demons. |
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Lioness with three arrow wounds and spinal injury causing
hindlimb paralysis. Detail from The Great Hunt, an alabaster relief in
the palace of Assurbanipal, Nineveh, 7th century B.C. The British Museum.
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The Assyrians hunted lions and later bred them for royal
hunts. This is an accurate Assyrian depiction of an arrow wound to the
lungs causing haemorrhage from the mouth of a lion. TheBritish Museum.
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In many ancient
cultures, small votive statuettes and carvings of body parts (often accurately
depicting such lesions as hernias, tumours, ulcers and varicose veins)
were left at temples and shrines by grateful patients who had recovered. |
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At left is an ancient Greek votive statuette, thought
to illustrate an ulcerating tumour of the breast. |
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