University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1910-01-20
MEDICINE PRINCIPLES
ARE 1000 YEARS OLD

Fordham University School of Medi-
cine, who delivered recently an ex-
haustive address on The Medical Pro-
fession for 5000 Years" to the gradu
ating class.
Among the interesting statements
made in the course of the address,
which appears in late issue OF the
New York Medical Journal, are the
following:
The first picture that we have of
a physician in history is indeed one
to make us proud of our profession.
This first physician was I-em-hetep,
whose name means the bringer of
peace He had two other titles, ac
cOrdrg to tradition, one OF which
was the master OF secrets evidently
in reference to the fact that more or
less necessarily, many secrets must
be entrusted to the physician. but
also. doubtless in connection with the
tics which he was supposed to possess.
Another of the titles was that of
the scribe of numbers by which, per-
haps reference is made to his pre-
scriptions, which may have been
lengthy, for there are many 'calen-
dar' prescriptions in the early days,
but may only refer to the necessity
of his knowing weights and measures
and numbers very exactly for profess
sional purposes.
"Iem-hetep lived in the reign OF
King Tchser, a monarch of the Third
dynasty in Egypt the date OF which
is somewhat uncertain, but is about
1900 b. c.
Il called attention in 1907 to the
fact that the earliest pictures OF surgi-
been uncovered in the cemetery OF
Sakkara, near Memphis, in Egypt.
These pictures show that surgery was
probably an organized branch CT medi-
cine thus early. and the fact that they
are found in very important tomb
shows how prominent place in the
community the surgeon held at that
time.
Perhaps the most interesting thing
about this early history of medicine
in Egypt is that with the very earliest
dawn OF medical history we have
traces of highly developed specialism
in medicine. There were thirty-siy
departments of medicine. or at least
there were thirty-six medical divini-
ties who presided over the particular
parts of the human body. In the
larger temples at least there was
special corps of prest-physiciaEs for |
each one OF these departments.
OF course it is easy to think that
these specia!ities did not amount to
much. but any such thought is the |
merest assumption. A single instance
will show You how completely at fault |
this assumption is. Dentistry is pre- |
Sumed to be very modern profession. |
AS a matter of fact mummies were
found in the cemtery of Thebes, whose |
bodies probably come from before !
5000 b. C.. who have in their teeth the |
Of gold filings that were .
well put in. and show good workman
snip. nearly 1000 years ago.
With all this activity in Egypt. it
is easy to understand that the other
great nations of antiquity also have
important chapters in the history of
medicine. 1t seems clear that a work
Oh anatomy was written in China
about the year 1000 B. c. Some of
he other Eastern nations made great
progress. The Hindus in particular
nave in recent years been shown to
nave accomplished very good work in
redlcine itself. Charaka, Hindu
who lived not later than 2Oo
). G.. made some fine contributions
o medical literature in Hindustari.
.aparOtOmy was very commonly done
~ Hindu surgeons, and one of the
ules enjoined on Hindu students was
he constant habit of visiting the sick
md seeing them treated by experi
need physicians.
1t Is among the Greeks however,
hat the most important advances. in
Medicine. so far as we are concerned.
we're made. The first great physician
mong the Greeks was Aesculapius, of
whom, however We have only tradi-
ions.
Six hundred years after AesculaD-
rs came iippocrates of Cos. tn
'ather OF Medicine. He wrote some
.reat works OF medicine that have |
ever grown old. Young men DO rot +
cad them, old men who are oyerper-
uaded Of how much progress is being {
lade by their own generation in medi.
Inc neglect them. The busy Dracti.
Toner has no time for them. The /
reat teachers OF medicine whom all
ne professions look up to and who