Chancellor of the King of Egypt, Doctor, First in line after the King of Upper Egypt, Administrator of the Great Palace, Hereditary nobleman, High Priest of Heliopolis, Builder, Chief Carpenter, Chief Sculptor, and Maker of Vases in Chief.
Imhotep was one of very few mortals to be depicted as part of a pharaoh's statue.[citation needed] He was one of only a few commoners ever to be accorded divine status after death. The center of his cult was Memphis. From the First Intermediate Period onward Imhotep was also revered as a poet and philosopher. His sayings were famously referred to in poems: "I have heard the words of Imhotep and Hordedef with whose discourses men speak so much."
The location of Imhotep's self-constructed tomb was well hidden from the beginning and it remains unknown, despite efforts to find it. The consensus is that it is hidden somewhere at Saqqara. Imhotep's historicity is confirmed by two contemporary inscriptions made during his lifetime on the base or pedestal of one of Djoser's statues (Cairo JE 49889) and also by a graffito on the enclosure wall surrounding Sekhemkhet's unfinished step-pyramid. The latter inscription suggests that Imhotep outlived Djoser by a few years and went on to serve in the construction of king Sekhemkhet's pyramid which was abandoned due to this ruler's brief reign.
Medicine: Imhotep The True Father of Medicine
Imhotep, Sage, Doctor
and
Architect of the Step Pyramid of King Djoser
| Imhotep was the architect who designed the Step Pyramid. He was a high official during the reign of King Djoser. He was deified and worshiped in the Ptolemaic period and during the Roman period.
Imhotep (sometimes spelled Immutef, Im-hotep, or Ii-em-Hotep; called Imuthes (Ιμυθες) by the Greeks), fl. 27th century BC (2655-2600 BC) (Egyptian ii-m-ḥtp *jā-im-ḥatāp meaning "the one who comes in peace") was an Egyptian polymath,[1] who served under theThird Dynasty king, Djoser, as chancellor to the pharaoh and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis. He is considered to be the first architect engineer[2] and physician in early history [3] though two other physicians, Hesy-Ra and Merit-Ptah lived around the same time. The full list of his titles is:
The location of Imhotep's self constructed tomb was well hidden from the beginning and it remains unknown, despite efforts to find it.[5]The general consensus is that it is hidden somewhere at Saqqara. Imhotep's historicity is confirmed by two contemporary inscriptions made during his lifetime on the base or pedestal of one of Djoser's statues (Cairo JE 49889) and also by a graffito on the enclosure wall surrounding Sekhemkhet's unfinished step-pyramid.[6][7] The latter inscription suggests that Imhotep outlived Djoser by a few years and went on to serve in the construction of king Sekhemkhet's pyramid which was abandoned due to this ruler's brief reign.[8] Attribution of achievements and inventionsMost known information about him is based on hearsay and conjecture. The ancient Egyptians credited him with many inventions. For example, it is claimed that he invented or improved the papyrus scroll. James Henry Breasted says of Imhotep:
Engineering and architectureAs one of the officials of the Pharaoh, Djoser, he designed the Pyramid of Djoser (the Step Pyramid) at Saqqara in Egypt in 2630 – 2611 BCE.[9] He may have been responsible for the first known use of columns in architecture. As an instigator of Egyptian culture, Imhotep's idealized image lasted well into the Ptolemaic period. The Egyptian historian Manetho credited him with inventing the method of a stone-dressed building during Djoser's reign, though he was not the first to actually build with stone. Stone walling, flooring, lintels, and jambs had appeared sporadically during the Archaic Period, though it is true that a building of the Step Pyramid's size and made entirely out of stone had never before been constructed. Before Djoser, pharaohs were buried in mastaba tombs.MedicineImhotep is credited with being the founder of medicine and with being the author of a medical treatise remarkable for being devoid of magical thinking; the so-called Edwin Smith papyrus containing anatomical observations, ailments, and cures.[10][11][12] The surviving papyrus was probably written around 1700 BC but may be a copy of texts a thousand years older. This attribution of authorship is speculative, however.[13]Birth mythsAccording to myth, Imhotep's mother was a mortal named Kheredu-ankh, elevated later to semi-divine status by claims that she was the daughter of Banebdjedet.[14] Conversely, as the "Son of Ptah",[15] his mother was sometimes claimed to be Sekhmet, the patron of Upper Egypt whose consort was Ptah. Imhotep is said to have been born near Memphis.DeificationAs Imhotep was considered the founder of medicine as a discipline, he was sometimes said to be the one who held up the goddess Nut(the deification of the sky), as the separation of Nut and Geb (the deification of the earth) was said to be what held back chaos. Due to the position this would have placed him in, he was also sometimes said to be Nut's son. In artwork he is also linked with the great goddess,Hathor, who eventually became identified as the wife of Ra. Imhotep was also associated with Ma'at, the goddess who personified the concept of truth, cosmic order, and justice — having created order out of chaos and being responsible for maintaining that order.Two thousand years after his death, Imhotep's status was raised to that of a deity. He became the god of medicine and healing. He later was linked to Asclepius by the Greeks. He was associated with Amenhotep son of Hapu, who was another deified architect, in the region of Thebes where they were worshipped as "brothers".[16] LegacyAccording to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "The evidence afforded by Egyptian and Greek texts support the view that Imhotep's reputation was very respected in early times ... His prestige increased with the lapse of centuries and his temples in Greek times were the centers of medical teachings."It is Imhotep, says Sir William Osler, who was the real "Father of Medicine", "the first figure of a physician to stand out clearly from the mists of antiquity." Imhotep was also identified with Thoth, the Egyptian god of writing, education, literacy and scribes through the Greco-Roman Period. Imhotep's dreamsThe Upper Egyptian Famine Stela, dating from the Ptolemaic period, bears an inscription containing a legend about a famine of seven years during the reign of Djoser. Imhotep is credited with having been instrumental in ending it. One of his priests explained the connection between the god Khnum and the rise of the Nile to the king, who then had a dream in which the Nile god spoke to him, promising to end the drought.In popular culture
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Notes
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Imhotep: The Physician/Architect Who Led Us From Magic to Medicine
RICHARD COLGAN, MD
University of Maryland
University of Maryland
Dr Colgan is associate professor and vice chair of medical student education and clinical operations in the department of family and community medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. He is the author ofAdvice to the Young Physician: On the Art of Medicine by Springer. For more information, go to www.advicetotheyoungphysician.com.
We must look at many historical figures in order to better understand what it means to be a healer and how to best practice the art of caring. Sir William Osler recommended that we “must come to the land of the Nile for the origin of many of man’s most distinctive and highly cherished beliefs.” Osler urges us to pay attention to the contributions of Imhotep—and so I am.
Imhotep (2655-2600 BC) was an Egyptian polymath considered to be the first architect, engineer, and physician in recorded history. He was also revered as a philosopher and one of only a few commoners ever to be acknowledged by the Egyptian people as having divine status after his death. Imhotep was also deified by the Greeks as Asclepius, the god of healing.
MAGIC AND MEDICINE
Imhotep stood out from the mists of antiquity in part because his practices were unlike those of others of his era. They were devoid of magical thinking. The Egyptians of his time thought that most illnesses (aside from trauma) were expressions of hostility by a higher power, e.g., an adversary, a spirit, or a dead person. The Papyrus Ebers, not felt to be authored by Imhotep but reflective of the type of medicine practiced in Ancient Egypt, contained primarily magical remedies to help with suffering. An Egyptian may have sought out a magician or a priest as readily as a physician for a cure. “The border between magic and medicine is a modern invention; such distinction did not exist for ancient healers,” noted Dr Axel Karenberg, a medical historian, and Dr C. Leitz, an Egyptologist, both of the University of Cologne, Germany.
According to Egyptologist Bob Brier in his book Ancient Egyptian Magic, “Some evidence exists that the kind of illness determined the method of treatment. If the cause was known, as in the case of broken bones and such perils as crocodile bites, then the treatment tended to be nonmagical. For instance, for a crocodile bite, a practical suggestion was to sew the wound closed and place raw meat on it. If however the illness was something such as a fever, where the cause would be unknown to the Egyptians, then it might be attributed to demons or malicious magic.”
A RATIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC APPROACH
There are no known writings of Imhotep. The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus, one of the most important documents describing medicine in the ancient Nile Valley, has been attributed to Imhotep. The Edwin Smith Papyrus was written around 1700 BC; it described wounds and how to treat them. This 17-page papyrus is unique among the remaining papyri of the time (Papyrus Ebers and London-Leiden Medical Papyrus) because of its rational and scientific approach. The other papyri were medical texts based on magic.
Imhotep, who was the architect of the step pyramid at Saqqara, would have been on the scene and seen many cases of broken bones and men injuring themselves by falling while building this large structure. The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus, while dealing largely with trauma and surgery, was highly descriptive. Forty-eight specific cases are documented. The cases began with a descriptor describing what was to follow, such as: “Instructions Concerning a Wound on the Top of His Eyebrow.” After which may be found details on the examination of the patient, followed by diagnosis. Bob Brier also notes, “Here the physician is told to state the injury and then whether or not he can treat it. Actually, there were three things he could say: (1) ‘An ailment which I will treat’; (2) ‘An ailment with which I will contend’; and (3) ‘An ailment not to be treated.’” In these writings we see the concept of prognosis as well as treatment. Egyptian physicians also described diseases which were beyond treatment as “an affliction for which nothing can be done.” The Greeks would later write about the wisdom of knowing when to not measure things.
Details on closing wounds with sutures, preventing and curing infection with honey, and recommendations to immobilize those with head and spinal cord injury as well as other lower body fractures are described. Physicians used bandages, splints, plaster, tape, and sutures. They also advised suppositories, herbal dressings, enemas, and castor oil. Gold was used to bind teeth and facial abscesses were incised and drained. Aloe vera was used for skin disease.
The first translation of the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus was by James Henry Breasted. This translation revealed that rational, scientific practices were based on careful observation and examination. For example, the surgical portion was the first of its kind, revealing a methodical identification of an ailment starting from the top of the head and working downward. The development of methods would be a theme encouraged by Sir William Osler centuries later. While many of the treatments used in Ancient Egypt are now considered to be of little benefit, some approaches set the bar for the art of medicine as we know it today. Imhotep’s work formed a basis for how to care for the patient. Hippocrates and Galen, both of whom studied Egyptian works, would later acknowledge his contribution.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
- Brier B. Ancient Egyptian Magic. New York: William Morrow; 1998.
- Dunn J. Imhotep, doctor, architect, high priest, scribe and vizier to King Djoser.http://touregypt.net/featurestories/imhotep.htm. Accessed October 10, 2011.
- Highfield R. How Imhotep gave us medicine. The Daily Telegraph. www.Telegraph.co.uk. Accessed 10 October 10, 2011.
- Osler W. The Evolution of Modern Medicine. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing; 2004:12.
- Osler W. The Silliman Foundation of Modern Medicine: A Series of Lectures Delivered at Yale University on the Silliman Foundation in April, 1913. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press; 1921.
- Shehata M. The father of medicine: a historical reconsideration. J Med Ethics. 2004;12:171-176.
